


Upside Down

by cabbaj



Category: Upside Down (2012), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-06 00:25:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11589237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cabbaj/pseuds/cabbaj
Summary: Zootopia Crossover. What if love was stronger than gravity? The universe. So full of wonders. Nick could spend hours and hours looking up at the sky. So many stars, so many mysteries… And there's one very special star that makes him think of one very special mammal. This is his story.





	1. Gravity

The universe. So full of wonders. Nick could spend hours and hours looking up at the sky. So many stars, so many mysteries… And there's one very special star that makes him think of one very special mammal. This is his story.

At the dawn of time, from the chaos, came an exception.

One of the most mysterious secrets of the universe.  
You see, Nick comes from that very mysterious and unique place.  
They are the only known solar system with double gravity.  
Two twin planets whirling together around one sun but each with its own and opposite gravity. The upper world, inhabited by prey. And the lower world, inhabited by predators.

In their world it's possible to _fall up_ and to _rise down._

But... his story, it's about love. Some people say that true lovers are one soul that is separated when it's born. And those two halves will always yearn to find their way back together.  
Well, to understand his story, you're gonna need to know the three basic laws of double gravity.

All matter, every single object is pulled by the gravity of the world that it comes from, and not the other.

An object's weight can be offset using matter from the opposite world:  
inverse-matter.

The problem is:  
After a few hours of contact, matter in contact with inverse-matter ...burns.

All these laws are as old as the universe itself. They're are unchangeable, and there are no exceptions. Gravity… They say you can't fight it. Well, Nick disagrees.

What if love was stronger than gravity?

Now let's go back to the dark times when any contact between worlds was extremely dangerous and totally forbidden.

Up top the mammals had grown rich and prosperous while here, down below,  
mammals steal inverse-metal from up top to heat their homes and to survive, risking everything,  
even their own lives.

The streets were crime ridden and children were savaging through the streets, looking for anything they could use for their families. Poor sanitation standards and the lack of medical resources were the source for illness and diseases. The Below as it was called, was a dark place. Electricity was scarce and the streets were hulled in shadows, hiding the ill and mad.

But if one would just raise their eyes from the apocalyptic world up towards the Upper, they would see light, they would see life, they would see a sky full of stars. Children on the streets tell themselves, if they died in the Below, heaven would expect them in the Upper. It was an utopia for mammals, a place one could live without worries and fear.

But unfortunately the two vices, poor and rich, are separated by law.  
The only authorized contact between worlds is through TransWorld, a giant corporation up top in the city of Zootopia and lead by prey, created to take cheap oil from down below and to sell back to them overpriced electricity that they couldn't possibly afford.

Because of TransWorld, Nick grew up in an orphanage.  
His parents died in the Big Blast, a TransWorld oil refinery explosion that destroyed much of the city. Fortunately, there were the weekends.

Our story begins in a small part of the city on the outskirts bordering a forest followed by a snowy mountain range. Even though the dirt and grime followed the mammals living here all the way to this part of the city, the scarcely distributed buildings and the occasional fin and oak granted the area some color and charm. The cold and distant hues of the gray buildings collided with the warm green of the evergreen trees and the warm glow of the Upper world, as the white glistening snow could be seen chilling on top of the mountain peak. It truly was a stunning scene out of this world.

Among those few buildings stood out a baroque complex, divided in two wings. The gray stones hindered the building from expelling any warmth and only contributed to the freezing atmosphere of the Below, especially as our story begins in the winter. Occasional snowflakes danced silently in the wind, just to land softly on the ground and culminate into the white wonder.

The creaky doors of the building cracked open and a young red furred tod stepped out into the cold, body wrapped up cozily into a gray jacket and a burgundy scarf as the tod descended the stairs onto the street, his emerald eyes roaming to and fro the air, watching the stunning dance of the snow.

He suppressed a shudder as he watched the flakes land on his purple nose and melt upon contact. While winter definitely didn't belong to his favorite seasons, Nick still couldn't deny he wouldn't appreciate the beauty one would witness during this time. And especially today the weather couldn't dampen his mood, because once in a while Nick was actually allowed to visit his only surviving relative, his great aunt Becky.

The young fox mounted his rusty and trusted bike as he rode down the slippery streets, cautious of the frozen water and maneuvering his way down the single road leading to Becky's place. Clouds were hovering over the mountain tops and faint sunlight broke through them, creating a truly mystical ambience Nick admired with shining emeralds. Nick could never get enough of just looking out into nature and let it do its work, creating stunning yet fleeting masterpieces.

The way down to Becky didn't took long and soon Nick would reach the worn down cabin out at the foot of the mountains. Crossing the bridge over a small canal, his bike skittered to a halt in front of the wooden building. It was a simple cabin, dark almost black wood decorated the facade, as behind faded windows hung white curtains, granting the glooming building much needed brightness.

Hopping up the stairs onto the veranda, his steps and movements full of juvenile energy, he wordlessly opened the door and entered the warm interior. As well as Becky, there were  
two things that Nick truly loved: model airplanes and Becky's flying pancakes. Yes, you've heard correctly, _flying pancakes._

"Going to have to get me some more pink pollen tomorrow. Okay, sweetie?"

The elder vixen turned around and looked over her shoulder with loving amber eyes at the young fox at her kitchen table, as she sprinkled a bright pink pulver onto the liquid pancake batter on the pan. The modest interior was dimly lit and cold, only a few lamps and the window providing it with light. Simple wooden furniture fulfilled its purpose without looking too tacky.

The young tod sat at the table, his paws lying patiently on it, while his sparkling eyes gave his excitement away. His swishing red furred tail also showed Becky how much her great nephew enjoyed her cooking, and it truly filled her with utter joy. Upon her statement, he nodded eagerly, his smile never faltering as he waited for the food.

The vixen smiled lovingly before she exclaimed, "Now catch!" Skillfully the elder vixen hurled the pancake with a flick of her wrist from the pan into the air. But instead of falling onto the floor and resulting in a ruined meal, the pancake instead floated through the air. As if gravity didn't apply to the sweet meal, the pancake glided onto Nick's plate, which he had held up in order to catch it.

While Becky had raised the young tod from time to time, she also initiated him into an ancient knowledge passed down over the generations to the women of the fox family..

The secret of the pink bees.

"Becky, how do they do that?", Nick asked innocently after setting down the plate with his floating treat, causing the elder vixen to chuckle lightly, amused by her great nephews curiosity.

"It's all in this book," she said softly, as she stepped beside him by the table and knelt down so she could be on eye-level with him. In her grasp she held a thick book in fake leather binding and as she had knelt down, she set the book on the table for them to see, and began to flip through the written worn down pages, the young fox following her movements eagerly, "It was passed down to my mother from hers. And, of course I would have given it to your mother."

Her expression faltered slightly as she remembered the loss of her dear daughter, but she quickly shoved the memories away as the sole presence of Nick should've been enough comfort. She quickly collected herself before she continued, her amber eyes never leaving the book in front of her, "One day, when you grow up, it'll be yours.."

Becky would often sent him to gather pink pollen from the Sage Mountains. This was the only place, and a forbidden place, where pink bees could be found. Bees that fed of flowers  
from both worlds and without whom this story could never have happened.

So after finishing his pancakes, Nick hurriedly rode his bike further down the snowy streett towards the Sage Mountains. He quickly found himself in front of a wire fence on a deserted meadow. The young fox dismounted his bike and ran towards a certain spot on the fence, passing a worn down and rusty sign saying,

_"Restricted area._

_No trespassing beyond this point."_

as here he had cut in a hole for himself, big enough to allow him to crawl through.

Looking back at the sign, he snorted amusedly. Never had he been caught climbing up this mountain and he was sure it would never likely happen. The place here was deserted, almost unknown. It was his and Becky's little secret. Smirking he turned around and began to run up the hill onto the foot of the mountain and soon enough, the little fox was climbing up the cliff, grunting and panting from the exhausting work out.

But aside from collecting illegal substances up on a restricted area, Nick has a little secret of his own… he used to go chase inverse-rain from up top.

One day he went much further than usual, climbing higher and higher above the cloud line. And that day... that day… changed his life forever.

The young fox strode further and further up the cliff, the occasional trees passing him as the clouds surrounded him as mist, causing him so tighten his jacket around him. Suppressing a shudder he climbed further up until the young fox reached an old oak tree. Its bark was black as charcoal and coarse, worn down from the harsh weather and the many years it had been up here. The leaves have already died and the treetops were merely naked branches dancing soullessly through the wind. It was exactly what Nick was looking for.

Without further reluctance he began to climb up the old tree. Even though the tree might have been ancient, Nick didn't have much to worry about it crashing down. Panting slightly the young tod finally reached the treetop. The wind was howling and Nick had to tuck in his ears so they wouldn't freeze off and as he sat on the branch, trying to catch his breath, he let his gaze roam around the breathtaking view up here.

Due to the dual gravity and the close approximation of the twin planets, the rain clouds which were forming around Nick tended to swirl around like a maelstrom. Nick felt like he was sitting underwater, as the white and gray clouds swirled around him as if he was underwater, looking at a vortex made out of mist. And as he let his gaze fall upon the planet above him, the mountains on the other side seemed to be within his grasp, only mere meters away.

Stunned emeralds watched the spectacle and Nick felt like he was now in his own world. Time seemed to stand still and he held his breath, fearing that if he would exhale, it would shatter the fleeting moment. But as he was watching intently the surroundings, he suddenly felt something cold falling onto his purple nose, and before he knew it rain started to pour down the clouds, or was it falling up?

Reaching out a paw, carefully not to lose his grip on the branch, the fox watched as the raindrops from below him dripping on the underside of his paw and actually falling up. He waited until the rainfall slightly wore down until Nick reached exitedly into his pocket and pulled out his model airplane, readying himself on the branch before he hurled the plane into the wind, watching it gliding and dancing around the air…

..and flying towards the Upper world.

Nick watched with wide eyes as his plane landed on the snowy grass of the other planet beside a gravel path. And as the fox looked closer, he realized he wasn't alone.

Just a few hundred meters above him was his plane, lying in the snow among the trees. The sound of soft paws walking on the gravel reached Nick's ears and he watched as a young gray furred bunny walked out from between the trees, seemingly having been on a walk before her eyes landed on the model airplane in front of her. She wore a burgundy beret on her head and a navy coat with golden buttons hugged her slim body, her clothes were pristine and in excellent condition, and Nick was sure he had never seen clothes so clean before. It caused him to look down at his own attire. While the bunny could clearly afford pretty clothes, he wore ragged jeans and a grimy jacket he had found in the dumpster. Looking back up, his gaze wandered to the bunny now in front of his plane.

Stopping in her tracks, the doe bent down and picked the toy up, letting her paws roam around the object and look at it with a curious gaze, before a voice above her caused her long black tipped ears to look up.

"Hey!"

Looking for the source of the voice, her gaze fell upon the upside down figure of a red furred tod standing on a thick branch of an old tree, looking up at her with curious emeralds. His attire was simple and dirty, yet his pristine red fur accentuated it nicely. She had never seen a predator in real life before, only on the television. She had heard enough stories from her family about how dangerous and savage predators could be and how she should never ever make contact with one of them. She knew it was illegal, and some part of her believed what her family had told her. But there was another part inside of the young doe that prevented her from pulling her eyes away. She was enchanted by his strange appearance, the red fur, the bushy tail, the shimmering emeralds and the smile he sent her. She felt how a blush crept up her cheeks as she saw the tod waving at her, a smile tugging at her lips.

Feeling how her heart sped up a little from the unfamiliar situation she was in, the doe smiled back, waving her small gray paw and as she shouted back a sweet "Hi!", and Nick couldn't help but to grin brightly.

"What's your name? I'm Nick" he asked innocently, his emeralds watching as her stunning amethyst lit up from his question. She smiled sweetly up at him before she answered, and even though Nick could see she was wary from talking to a predator, Nick was sure that in that moment he had made a new friend.

And as emerald connected with amethyst eyes, he also knew that her name would echo inside his head for the next few years, just as his heart would flutter every time he would look at her.

"I'm Judy!"


	2. Forbidden

Several years had passed and our young tod had grown up into a lean adult fox. During the time Nick and Judy had spent together, they quickly grew fond of each other. The moment they had met all those years ago on this particular mountain, something had clicked inside of them. Never had they met a mammal so different and yet so perfect and it didn't take both of them long, to fall in love with each other.

Nick truly felt like the happiest mammal in the world since he had met the energetic bunny. The way she approached life head-on in such an optimistic way, every time her angelic laughter filled his mind, and how every time his heart sped up when her soft gray fur made contact with his. She was the reason why he thrived to be a better mammal, she was perfect; she was his soul-mate.

And the fact that this bunny, coming from the Upper and from a wealthy family, was willingly ready to spend her time with this poor fox from the Below, it befuddled Nick.

But he wasn't one to complain. No, he was beyond happy.

All these thoughts wandered through the fox' uneasy mind as he sat on a particular cliff. This place was insofar a special place for him, as it was the highest point from each twin planets. Here he was the closest to her, and she the closest to him. So the lovers had decided to make this cliff their secret meeting point, having spent the last years hiding from their families and jobs to see each other, for they knew their time together was limited.

The freezing cold up on the mountain caused the fox to shiver as he hugged himself, his gray jacket only doing a moderate job in keeping him warm. His emeralds looked blankly up towards the Upper, roaming for a particular gray bunny. He watched as the snow from both worlds fell and rose, how his sky was basically a mountain pass, covered in glistening snow while the sun bathed the atmosphere in a warm light.

Nick could never have enough from watching how nature would paint its fleeting masterpiece upon the sky day after day. It was truly one of the most beautiful things he could recall seeing. That is until he heard a particular voice.

"Hey!"

Interrupting his thoughts, the female voice reminded him of another stunning masterpiece, as he looked towards the source of the voice, a smile already tugging on his lips as he stood up from his seating position, looking up at the most important mammal in his life. As always she looked stunning, and again Nick wondered how she could look so gorgeous seemingly without any effort.

"Well, well Fluff, how rude of you letting me wait out here in the cold," he quipped, his smile growing as Judy climbed up her mountain and closing the distance, "You know, I've been waiting ages for you, where have you been?"

"Our neighbors got robbed, they're saying it was a thief from down below," Judy answered, her voice slightly strained from the quick climbing session. Even though both of them were now up on the highest point of their planets respectively, they were still about twenty meters apart.

Nick's smile faltered slightly as he heard her talking, "There's hunters with guns and border patrol trucks." Emeralds widened and Nick's smile was replaced by a worrisome expression. Hunter's were never a good sign. They were ruthless and cruel. If you were a predator then you are a suspect. And suspects rarely get a trial.

Nick's gaze shifted and he began to worry. _What if they find us?_

Before he could voice his concerns Judy spoke up, causing him to make eye contact.

"Don't make that face!" Her smile was balm for his worrying soul and his heart calmed down immediately as he smiled back at her, her optimism slowly infecting him, "I made it here, right?"

Nick's gaze softened as he answered, his tone still layered with worry, "Look, as long as you're okay.."

Judy just chuckled upon his answer, her laughter causing his heart to flutter. Instead of finishing his sentence, Nick ducked down and grabbed the rope he had brought with him. It was the only means for the to truly make contact, their nexus to each other, connecting both of their worlds, "I'll throw it up, okay! Ready?"

"Ready!"

Skillfully Nick hurled the rope towards Judy as she caught it swiftly in her paws before tying it around her waist. Then Nick proceeded to descend the cliff while pulling at the rope.

"Are you tied on?" he called as he looked up. She threw him a thumbs up as she replied, "I'm done! Don't drop me!"

"I would never," he quipped with a grin as he braced his feet against a rock formation, beginning to pull his bunny towards him as she slowly inched closed towards him.

His heart began to race as he pulled his love closer and closer, his smile growing as his emeralds finally saw her enchanting amethysts again. His heart yearned for her contact and as she was finally in arms reach, he dropped the rope and grabbed her gently while pulling her small frame closer to his body.

As Nick hugged her tightly they wordlessly inched closer, sharing a sweet innocent kiss. The world around them disappeared as they shared their intimate moment, and Nick relished in the wonderful feeling of her soft lips on his. As their lips parted, they remained close to each other as Nick continued to hold onto her, preventing her from falling up her world. Not that either of them would complain.

"I missed you, Judy," he whispered as he gazed into her amethyst pools filled with yearning and love. He was sure that she saw the same in his as she pecked him curtly on his lips before smiling sweetly, "I bet you do."

They spent the next two hours sitting close to each other on the cliff, as they shared food from either of their worlds. Nick was munching blueberries as he sat under the cliff formation while Judy was lying on the underside of the cliff, the gravity of her world pulling her up and therefore letting her lying upside down facing her fox.

"You know, these ones from up top are so good…" Nick mumbled, his mouth full of the sweet treats as he threw another berry into his maw. Judy watched him with amused eyes as the fox ate the gift she had brought for him.

"Yeah, they're amazing, right? I brought them from my family's farm, they're the best in and outside of Zootopia!"

Nick swallowed before he answered, "Whew, I don't know about you, but now we definitely need to visit them." He chuckled as he continued to eat, missing how Judy's expression slightly faltered. His ears perked up and he stopped chewing as she voiced her concerns.

"You know we can't do that," her voice was low and calm, well aware of how impossible it was for either of them to visit each other's worlds.

His smile faltered slightly as he considered her words before a grin formed on his face. He wouldn't let negative thoughts ruin his date as for he knew how limited their time together was. Also, he would die before he would see his bunny being sad.

"I know we can't, but imagine if we could.. just go anywhere we wanted to," he turned around and looked towards the rising sun on the horizon of the two worlds. The warm light contrasted with the cold atmosphere of the mountains, the colors crashing beautifully as they watched the spectacle.

"It would be life changing," Judy finished his thoughts as she diverted her gaze from the sun to her fox, her mind stirring with imaginations of how life would be if she could just spend the rest of her life with her wonderful fox. To just laugh, grow old, to love without being persecuted for it. Her thoughts were interrupted as Nick snorted and began to stand up before facing a befuddled bunny with a determined face.

"You know what, we can."

"Wha-" before Judy could question further what he was talking about, his paws were suddenly grabbing her waist before he hoisted her up his shoulders, causing her to emit a high pitched "Eep!".

"Let's go down!" Nick exclaimed, his paws gripping her thighs tightly so she wouldn't fall up as he began to descend the cliff, a hysteric bunny on his shoulders.

"Nick! For Pete's sake what are you doing! Sweet cheese and crackers.." she chided angrily, before she held onto his ears for her dear life as he jumped down the rocks.

"Ouch! Carrots, watch the ears!" Nick yelped as he entered the forest below the cliffs, running between the trees as he carried the panicking bunny.

"Don't _Carrots_ me, you dumb fox and let me… let.. this.. this is actually fun!"

Her heart was still racing from the impulsive action of her fox, but the panic was gradually replaced with joy as she sat on Nick's shoulders while he ran through the forest, swirling leaves from the ground up. The wind ran through her fur as she was practically lying on Nick's head.

They soon began to chuckle and enjoy the moment, filling the forest with joyous laughter as they sped down the path, jumping to and fro while both of them relished the close contact. But soon enough Nick began to slow down, the exertion on his body from carrying another mammal on his shoulders while running wearing him down. He was already panting as he made a stop in a clearing, Judy still laughing on top of him, causing him to smile as his body was filled with warmth.

"That was awesome, Nick!" Judy chuckled as she hugged Nick's head, his smile growing from making his bunny happy, "We should definitely do tha-"

Her sentence was cut off as a sudden bang echoed through the forest, causing her ears to perk up in surprise. Both of them were now listening intently for the sound as they stood still between the trees. Nick could feel his heart as well as her heart racing, as they waited for another sound. He knew from experience and from living on the streets that the sound was definitely a gunshot, and upon that realization his blood froze, the urge to protect his bunny beginning to rise.

"Did you hear that?" Judy whispered into his ears, her eyes watching the forest as Nick answered quietly, "Yeah, we should go."

Nick was about to retreat back towards the cliff as another gunshot echoed through the forest, this time way much closer and louder. And both of their hearts leaped as they heard the distant sounds of mammals yelling and shouting, coming closer and closer.

Without another word Nick turned around and ran back up the hill towards the cliff. His legs were burning and his heart racing, his lungs yearning for air, but he refused to slow down. He needed to bring his bunny to safety. He could feel her trembling above him and her fear began to infect him, as he forced his tired legs to move faster, the sounds of the hunters coming closer.

"He's there!"

"Get him!"

Another gunshot. The world exploded and wood splinters flew around as Nick sped down the path. They were close, and Nick was gradually slowing down. The exertion and the uphill race wearing him down. Nick was panting, everything was burning, but he needed to get her to safety.

Much to his relief he reached the cliff. Using his last resorts he jumped up the rocks, Judy quickly tying the rope around her waist. Before Nick was about to let her up to her planet, he quickly pecked her on her lips, his silent good-bye before he let her go.

He clenched his teeth as he grabbed the rope, slowly letting Judy ascend to her planet as he stemmed his leg against the rock. She was still dangling about ten meters above her planet and Nick did his best to move fast, hearing the hunters coming closer and closer.

Several gunshots rang out and missed the mark, as the rocks around Nick exploded. Nick flinched as chips of stones were flying to and fro, but he refused to let the rope go, still holding onto his bunny. She was now a couple more meters away from here planet, before everything went wrong.

Pain shot up his arm as a bullet hit its mark, causing Nick to yelp and collapse to his knee, his paws losing its grip on the rope. Eye wide in shock, he looked up to his bunny now freefalling her last meters before she landed with a sickening thud on the rock, her body not moving as Nick called out to her, his voice stricken with shock and grief.

"Judy!" More gunshots. "JUDY! NO!"

Nick barely registered the mammals restraining him as his gaze kept locked with the unmoving body of his love. Blood began to pool from her head, the white snow now red, and Nick's heart froze upon seeing the red liquid. Misty emerald tried to find amethyst, but all he saw were closed lids, before he was subdued and arrested for something he never did.

On that day, Nick lost everything. The Upper world suspected him of being the thief and proceeded to burn down Becky's house. He was forced to watch as his home burned down to ashes, forced to watch as the police took away everything he had. The last thing he saw before they took away his great aunt, was her bawling her eyes out as she was frantically resisting arrest, trying to reach out for her nephew while crying out, that he did nothing wrong. He would never see her again.

Because of his foolishness, they took Becky. Because of his carelessness, they burned down his only home and threw him in jail.

Because of his love, they took his soul-mate away.


	3. Surprise

The sun began to rise on the horizon, seemingly ascending from the Below towards the Upper as it sent its warming glow between the twin planets. While the Upper sparkled and prospered in light and beauty, illuminating the yet dark city of Zootopia, the gloom and smog above the Below laid down upon the poverty stricken city like a heavy blanket, smothering any light or warmth out of the skyline.

Among the downtrodden buildings stood a small apartment complex. Worn down brick walls from which the paint was already peeling off decorated the facade as the faint orange light flickered through one particular grimy window.

After checking his resources for the upteenth time and flipping through the pages of the book he had received from Becky all those years ago, the adolescent fox returned his emerald gaze towards his newest creation. He had spent year after year, invested blood, sweat and tears after studying the book through sleepless nights until he had finally figured out the essence of the pink bees.

The bees were able to collect pollen from both worlds, the Upper and the Below. The resulting honey the bees then produce would therefore be affected by both worlds at the same time, meaning it feels both gravitational fields at once.

Ten years have passed since Nick was released from prison because of good conduct and he had spent his days doing odd jobs here and there, until he decided he would do something with what he had inherited from his great aunt. Studying the book and its contents, Nick finally had the revolutionary idea how to capitalize on his discovery.

Packing up his invention and his tools, the fox quickly strode through his tiny one-room apartment and put on his jacket, before leaving his home. Mounting his bike, the tod began to ride through the slums he lived in. The air was chilly and rain occasionally poured down from the clouds above, the rotten smell of disease and trash wafted through the air, as Nick made his way to work, paying no mind to all the things that were wrong in the world; he was used to it after all.

Passing through the ruins that once were a marketplace, he maneuvered around the debris and rubble, trying not to trip over anything as he increased his speed. His heart was racing from excitement, barely containing his joy for finally having a breakthrough after all these years. Bright emeralds roamed through the streets as he watched the passing mammals that were on their way to work. A wide variety of mammals, ranging from tigers and bears to does and elephants, passed Nick by as he rode through alleyways and streets.

Rain began to pour down from the heavy clouds looming over the city as Nick entered the industrial area. Dark smog laid itself upon the sky like a glooming blanket and it was almost impossible for the fox to ride down the streets. Fortunately his workplace was right around the corner. Passing by wired fences and brick buildings, the soaked young fox steered towards a downtrodden warehouse, waving at the security guard who greeted him with a friendly "Morning, Wilde!".

Glad to finally escape the pouring rain, he dismounted his bike and entered the dry and relatively warm warehouse, where upon his arrival a girthy black bear greeted him, his booming voice echoing throughout the interior.

"Nicky! You're late!", the elder bear greeted him, his tone light and warm, showing Nick that he wasn't actually chiding him.

"How's it going, Albert?" Nick replied as he scurried to his table. The warehouse wasn't by far big. The grimy tiles and dirty windows, as well as the numerous metal shelves containing several nic-nacs, only added to the messy atmosphere one would find here. But it didn't bother Nick. After he had been released from jail, Albert had been gracious enough to offer him a job at his workshop. Of course Nick had to sweet-talk him first, showing him his book he had inherited from his great aunt and his speciality in pink matter. Upon hearing about the wonderful effects of the pink matter, Albert had immediately decided to take Nick in, under the condition the fox would work on something that would get him out of this gutter.

And Nick had held his promises. After working tirelessly on his project for years, Nick had finally something to show, so he thought. After making himself comfortable at his workstation, a simple desk adjacent to his co-worker's desk, and perpendicular to Albert's desk, the fox began to unpack his equipment.

Soon after Nick finished unpacking, an elder doe entered the warehouse as she slowly strode towards the black bear, who had been busy screwing around on his little TV, trying to get a signal through.

"Hello, Albert," the doe greeted the predator. Her smile was warm and her greeting soft, yet polite. She had been visiting the premises for quite a while now after hearing about Nick's project, and he was nothing short but eager to finally see the fruits of his work.

"Mrs. Nathanson, what do you have for me?" Albert boomed as he regarded the prey mammal, halting his work on the TV as he saw the object the doe was holding in her arms. She smiled friendly as she answered.

"Inverse-matter, to pay my debts." Handing over a mason jar and its content, a two inch screw, the bear accepted it with scrutinizing gaze, inspecting the matter closely without opening the jar. "Will this cover it?"

Albert continued to inspect the content of the jar, watching how the screw was seemingly stuck on the underside of the lid as it was affected by the gravity of the Upper world while he listened to Mrs. Nathanson's explanation.

"My husband says it's stainless steel. From the pipeline," she told him, a proud smile on her aging face. Upon hearing this, Albert tore his gaze from the jat to the doe, a smile and wide brown eyes creeping onto his face, "Oh, is that so?"

"Pablo, it's ready!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the young tod behind them as he talked to his co-worker Pablo, a young grey wolf in black dungarees, who stumbled from his desk over to Nick, a stopwatch in his paws. Intrigued by the outcome, Albert and Mrs. Nathanson quickly followed the wolf to the fox's desk.

"Okay, don't start till it's fully applied.." Nick regarded the wolf while he put on rubber gloves onto his paws. On the fox's table was the head of a canine mannequin, the fake fur and skin of the puppet hanging limply on the surface, resembling a mammal of advanced age. Opening a jar containing the fruits of years of work, Nick began to excitedly apply some of the pink lotion onto the fake skin of the mannequin.

Upon contact with the lotion, the skin seemed to be affected by both gravitational fields of both planets, resulting in an effective face lift, the seemingly elder canine puppet now appearing younger.

"Wow, that stuff is amazing!" Mrs. Nathanson exclaimed as she witnessed the effect of Nick's lotion. Just like his co-workers, the fox could barely contain his joy, wide smile and sparkling emeralds on his face as he watched the result of his work.

His smile quickly faded as the lotion suddenly lost its effect, the skin of the puppet again slumping and hanging limply on its form. The lotion wasn't perfect.

Albert sighed disappointedly while Pablo gave Nick a reassuring pat on his shoulder, "Cheer up, Nick. You can do it," before the wolf returned to his desk, leaving a bummed fox behind as he stared at his work. How could it be? He was so sure his project would work, that he had the right concoction. What if he could never figure this out? Huffing to himself, Nick decided it wouldn't do any good to mull over what-ifs, instead the young fox immediately began to start working all over again.

"We're all settled, doll," Albert said, as he shook Mrs. Nathanson's hoove, the doe smiling friendly as she regarded the elder bear.

"Thank you, and uh.. can you keep me posted on that beauty cream?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"We'll do, you take care, alright?" Albert replied warmly as he winked at her, causing the doe to chuckle as she went ahead to leave the warehouse, leaving the males alone.

"Did you hear that, Nicky?" Albert asked as he turned around, looking at the red fox, "We have to get to finish this cream."

"Well, I would love to, Albert. But..," Nick sighed as his gaze remained on his work. The fox slumped into his seat as he sighed, "With this equipment," he waved at the many test tubes and machines on his table, "You know, it'd take years! I'm not getting any younger Albert, and this-"

"..ransWorld will fulfill everyone's dream and transform his working for TransWorld."

The sudden blaring of the TV interrupted Nick's rant, pulling everyone's attention towards the screen as a game show host, a well dressed moose, talked euphorically into the camera, "We're live down Below with out nine finalists feverishly awaiting the results."

The camera cut to show the nine contestants of the game show. Nine mammals were smiling broadly into the screen, jumping and rocking restlessly on their heels. But Nick wasn't paying any attention anymore as soon as he heard from the company that had taken everything from him.

TransWorld. Just to think of it left a bitter taste in Nick's tongue. _These bloodsuckers deserve to rot in hell for what they have done_ , Nick thought resentful. No matter how low he would steep, Nick swore he would die first before he would ever consider working for these criminals. Nick was about to return to his work, as the words of the game show host reached his ears, freezing the blood inside his heart upon hearing the name he hadn't heard in such a long time. A name he had thought of countless nights inside his dreams.

"I'd like to welcome Ms. Judy Hopps of Trans Publicity, a division of TransWorld!"

Wide and disbelieving emeralds slowly turned towards the small TV screen across the room. The world around him disappeared, Albert and Pablo, his work, everything dispersed as he watched how a gray furred bunny with beautiful amethyst eyes hopped onto the stage, a bright smile on her stunning face Nick had missed oh so much.

"Hi, how are you? Welcome! Now, she'll tell us more about what she does. But more importantly, let's hear about our winner's new job!" the host continued to talk, but Nick was barely paying attention to the moose as he was way to distracted by the mammal he had considered his soul mate. And as she opened her mouth to speak, her angelic and chipper voice still sounded like the same optimistic Judy from all those years ago, the Judy he thought had died, "Well, our division handles all of TransWorld's graphic designs. Right now, we're going to work on…"

And then the realization hit him like an oncoming train.

Judy was alive. And she was working for TransWorld.


	4. First Day

"It's her."

It felt like a dream. Nick was still staring disbelievingly at the TV screen, his heart and his mind racing. How could it be? He was sure he had seen her dying on that mountain, blood pooling from her head as she had fallen several meters. But did she really die? Apparently not, as the bunny he loved smiled brightly into the camera, as if nothing bad had ever happened to her.

"Pablo, it's Judy," Nick mumbled, wide eyes glued to the screen, as the gray wolf moved beside him, following his gaze.

"Are you sure?" the wolf asked, a questioning look on his face as he regarded the vulpine, noticing how his open mouth slowly formed into a wide smile. Shock turned into ecstasy and joy as the realization finally settled into the vulpine's mind:

She was alive.

"Absolutely sure," Nick nodded, emeralds shining brightly as he turned his gaze towards the wolf. Running his paws through his ears, Nick had to remind himself to breath as excitement filled his heart, "She.. she's alive, Pablo! I can't believe it, I couldn't find her and.. and.."

His smile faltered slightly and made place for a confused, almost hurt look as he remembered what he was watching.

"And she works at TransWorld."

"Nick, I-" Pablo began, but Nick wasn't listening anymore as his feet carried him across the warehouse, his mind not perceiving the voices of either the wolf or the bear as they called out to him. Increasing his speed, the fox sprinted out of the door onto the wet streets. The rain had stopped a while ago and made place for the warm sun as its warm beams bursted through the occasional cloud. Halting just in front of the warehouse, the fox gazed beyond the wired fences and industrial buildings towards the highest and most impressive building both worlds had to offer; the TransWorld-Tower.

Being the only connection between the two worlds, the tower of course touched both planets, either half employing mammals from their respective planets. The giant made out of metal and concrete loomed like a sparkling obelisk above the sea just a few miles in front of Nick, just past the harbor. The lights of the numerous rooms and offices among the dark stone of the building shone like stars and Nick felt his gaze being pulled upon the tower.

But it wasn't the architectural beauty that pulled his emeralds towards it. No it was the knowledge of what mammal was residing this moment up there. The mammal he thought was dead, the mammal he had loved, and still did. His heart had never stopped burning for her, her face had cursed and enchanted him at the same time throughout his dreams, forcing him to remember her. And after all these years of solidarity and yearning, life had finally decided to throw him a bone. It had shown him where she was and that she was safe and sound.

All he had to do was get to her.

Clenching his fists, Nick's burning emeralds stared at the tower as his mind made up a decision, a decision Albert and Pablo would most likely beat the shit out of him, but none of that mattered. He would do it anyway, Nick knew it. Nothing would keep him from getting to his bunny. Not even TransWorld itself.

-o-

The soft and light tunes of a piano echoed throughout the room as the viola accompanied its melody. The dimmed lights and the warm decor of the ballroom made it appear warmer than it was. Chandeliers from the Below hung from the ground upside down and appeared like a fountain made of light, casting its glow across the maroon floor and marble walls. Mammals of all species bustled across the dance floor, on the ground and on the ceiling, swinging to and fro to the light melodies as they chatted joyfully with each other. It was a moment of relaxation, a time one could enjoy itself and cherish the privileged live one had.

But not Judy. Sipping from her turned down glass, containing expensive brandy from the Below, she sighed internally as her lazy eyes roamed the room. The gray bunny sat alone at a table by the tall windows, staring into the dark night sky as the thought of counting stars seemed to be so much more appealing at the moment than to be here. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted, as the music began to speed up and a gray furred paw appeared in front of her pink twitching nose. Following the extended paw along its arm she discovered it belonged to a handsome gray hare, black stripes on the sides of his face as he smiled charmingly at her, his tall black tipped ears standing erect and blue eyes sparkling.

"Would you care for a dance, m'lady?" the buck asked, his voice low and suave as if he had done this a million times before. Looking down, Judy found his attire indeed immaculate and pristine, proof of his wealth and status. Not exactly being averse to dancing with him, Judy put on a curt smile as she took his paw, the buck immediately pulling her out of her chair as his smile widened.

In swift steps they were soon on the dance floor, swinging in tune with the melody of the piano as they seemed to float over the red carpet, their bodies skillfully moving in sync. Only mere meters above them on the ceiling were other guests from the Below, dancing merrily just as they did. Everything seemed perfect, their movements, the rhythm, and the skill. The only thing missing was the chemistry.

"You look lovely today, Judy," the hare spoke up quietly, as his voice was easily audible from the close distance they held onto each other, their paws intertwined while his other paw on her hip. Judy unconsciously tightened her grip on his shoulder as was suddenly aware of the close contact of the hare, widening the distance between them slightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Savage," she replied curtly, not exactly eager to continue the conversation.

"I told you before, Judy, just call me Jack. We're friends, right? No need for courtesy," he retorted, a smile on his lips as they swayed across the carpet, all eyes of the other mammals in the room now on them as they saw a seemingly perfect couple. Judy couldn't help but snort.

"You're right, we're friends. That's about it," Judy curtly replied, the smile fading from her lips as she halted their dance, before she wordlessly turned around and steered towards the door of the ball room, not noticing the surprised buck staring at her back. Ignoring the mumbling from the other guests, the doe quickly left the room, not wanting to spend another minute with that striped hare.

It wasn't that he was ugly or repulsive. Quite on the contrary, Jack was a handsome rabbit, very well behaved and charming, truly the perfect husband. Any mother would be lucky for her daughter to find such a buck.

But it didn't feel right. It felt wrong.

-o-

"Stay in line, prepare jackets and personal objects for weighing."

The automatic voice blared through the speakers throughout the security hall, as Nick stood patiently in line, trying his best to keep his eyelids open. The fox had been working on his project tirelessly the last couple days, fixing the mixture as much as he could with his equipment. Mixture after mixture, concoction after concoction, nothing seemed to work. But after failing what felt like hundreds of times, he finally got what he wanted. At least the closest thing that he wanted.

With Nick's current equipment, he could only do so much. But that wouldn't be much of a problem, because Nick had a plan. A plan how he could kill two birds with one stone.

His project was advanced enough to get him into TransWorld, the bloodsucking cooperation he hated so much. While he despised TransWorld, he had to admit that a job in that company would mean a steady income, and he would get the necessary tools and equipment to achieve the result he was aiming for. But of course, money wasn't the reason why he was now standing in line and waiting to be pat down by the security.

No, the real reason was a certain bunny somewhere in this very building. Butterflies began to flutter in his stomach as he thought about her. It felt like the first time he had met her, the time he fell in love. And yet Nick couldn't deny that his feelings right now were mixed up. He didn't know what he should think of the fact that his Judy was working for TransWorld, the company that had taken everything from him. How could someone such as Judy, the most empathic and loving mammal he had ever met, work for such a company? He couldn't grasp it.

But while his feelings about her occupation were mixed, he couldn't deny the bubbly feeling inside of him as he thought about her. He still loved her. He knew it. That was reason enough for the fox to pull through his plan;

Get a job at TransWorld, find her, and somehow get to her. He knew she was in the upper levels on the side of her planet. The biggest challenge for Nick was to sneak into her department while appearing to be an Upper. Somehow he had to get inverse-matter into his paws, so he could cancel out the gravitational field of the Below. But how?

After being scanned, patted down, and being given his personal ID card, Nick passed through security and entered the elevator, carrying him up to level 0, the exact midpoint of the tower between the two planets.

Being required to put on his working attire, a light blue lab coat and white shirt, the fox tugged at the collar of his shirt, already feeling uncomfortable. Exiting the elevator Nick entered a brightly lit hallway, the black tiles neatly contrasting the fluorescent white light, glowing from the ceiling, walls and ground. Intrigued by the futuristic design, the fox almost stumbled against a desk beside a wide door in front of him. Stepping back, Nick scratched his neck as he smiled sheepishly at the young gazelle sitting at the desk glaring at him, before Nick decided to scurry pass the desk towards the double doors.

Taking a last steadying breath, Nick opened the doors and entered his workplace for the next couple weeks. Wide emeralds gazed upon the wide room as he entered the office hall, hundreds of cubicles rowing left and right across the ground and the ceiling, as being on the middle floor between the worlds, workers from both planets had their office here.

Actually being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of cubicles, Nick continued to stare dumbfoundedly at the ocean of offices as he pulled on his collar. How was he supposed to find his desk among these masses? Before Nick could think of a way, a voice above him interrupted his musings.

"Need some help?" an elder badger spoke up from the ceiling as he looked up at Nick, his eyes lacking any warmth as he spoke in a lazy tone.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I- I'm looking for a station 15, sector 8?" Nick stuttered, intrigued by the senior workers and slightly flustered for appearing like a rookie. Of course he was a rookie, but no one needed to know that.

"Third aisle down," the badger answered curtly before he returned to his own conversation with his co-worker, leaving a nervous fox back who managed to utter a silent "Thanks", before he dove into the ocean of cubicles.

Passing by the many cubicles, Nick was surprised to actually receive warm smiles and friendly greeting as his co-workers regarded him. Waving back sheepishly, not exactly expecting such hospitality, Nick almost didn't register the tiger approaching him. The feline gave Nick a rough pat on his back, much to the canine's surprise as the tiger smiled warmly, "Welcome aboard, newbie!"

"Uh, thank you," Nick replied, the tiger nodding curtly and continuing to make his way down the aisle. _Maybe this won't be so bad_ , Nick thought as he judged his first day. His co-workers seemed friendly enough, and he will be able to do the work he loved. And most importantly, he would get to see Judy again. Maybe this won't be bad at all.

As Nick continued his way down the aisle, he finally reached his assigned cubicle. The gray walls and furniture, including a simple desk and chair, as well as a cabinet and a safe for his belongings, were immaculate and clean. Sitting down on his chair, the fox noticed a bottle with a note attached to it on his table.

Raising an eyebrow before he looked around, he decided to inspect the bottle. Opening the note, he was greeted by a "Welcome!" written on the blank paper, and upon closer inspection of the bottle, he discovered it was beer.

Smiling excitedly and filled with warmth that he would receive such a friendly welcome, Nick decided to take a gulp from the bottle as he tried to open it.

What he didn't expect was the gushing content to spray all over his face and workplace.

"What th-" Nick spluttered as he tried to take control over the oozing beer bottle and after what seemed like minutes, the spraying finally stopped. Trying not to growl in public, Nick clenched his teeth as he hurled the bottle on his table as he sunk down in his chair. His clothes and his workplace were now completely soaked and wet with beer and now he smelled like an alcoholic.

 _So much for a warm welcome_ , Nick grumbled, a frown on his face as he glared at his laughing co-workers. He played with the thought of actually throwing the bottle at them, as a voice above him pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Don't worry, my friend. They do that to all the newbies," a white furred wolf spoke up, smiling friendly at Nick as he sat at his table on the Upper side. The pristine white fur of the elder wolf shined brightly like snow, only accentuating his piercing yet warm ruby eyes, "My name's Cypher, Cypher Boruchowitz. And you are?"

Regarding the wolf with a skeptical look and a raised brow, Nick couldn't see any malice or sarcasm from the friendly canine, so Nick decided to swallow down his snarky retorts as he answered, "I'm Nick, Nick Wilde."

Cypher's smile widened, "Well, nice to meet you, Nick."

Before Nick could reply, a female voice behind him spoke up. Turning around and up, he regarded a female cheetah, dressed sharply in a suit from the Upper as she looked up at him, "Mr. Wilde?"

Her tone was flat and lackadaisical, her expression lacking any warmth or emotion as she spoke, "Please follow me. The managing director is waiting to see you."

"Right, sure, uh," Nick picked himself up from the chair as he was about to follow the cheetah, as Cypher's voice spoke up.

"Psst! Hey!" Nick turned around to look up at the white wolf, who was pointing at his back, "Your back, check it out."

Confused by what the wolf meant, Nick reached with his arms behind his back, and upon patting it he discovered the familiar feeling of a paper sheet being stuck to his back. Ripping it off, the fox read what the paper said,

_Losers wear wet shirts._

"Har har, that's.. that's very funny," Nick grumbled as he crumpled the paper before throwing it on his desk, causing the white wolf to frown questioningly.

"Really? I don't think that's funny." Nick raised a brow upon the wolf's exclamation.

"No, that.. that was irony. You know what irony is, right?" Nick asked flatly as he watched how the confused expression of the wolf morphed into a delighted one.

"Ohhh, I get it. Then I guess it was pretty funny," he said, winking at Nick as he chuckled to himself, before returning to his own work.

Staring dumbfoundedly at the white wolf, Nick was about to speak up but he was interrupted by an impatient voice behind him.

"Mr. Wilde, we don't have much time!" Spinning around he looked at the glaring cheetah, who turned around wordlessly not waiting for the stunned fox to follow her as she strode down the aisle with swift steps.

Not wanting to waste any time or make that cheetah any angrier, Nick hurried out of his cubicle as he followed the cheetah, his neck craned upwards at all times as he had to follow the feline walking on his ceiling, while she explained to him all the formalities and rules. But Nick was barely listening as his mind seemed to be always pulled back to the one and same thought. Sure, he had managed to get a job at TransWorld, and he could say he had found a friend of some sorts in that white wolf, but one particular question kept on nagging inside his head.

How the hell was he supposed to get to Judy?


	5. Lightbulbs

"Come in, Mr. Wilde."

After hearing two knocks on the door, the moose dressed in a sharp suit from the Upper world called the visitor in. Sitting at his desk in his sparsely decorated office, Lagavullan averted his scrutinizing gaze from his work as he regarded the red fox entering the room from the Below.

Entering the room and closing the door behind him, Nick cautiously stepped into the office as his emeralds looked around. Aside from the blank black walls and the huge window to his left overlooking the whole office area, the fox noticed how _cold_ it was. Everything was blank and colorless, no plants, no pictures or object of sentimental value. It was as if he had entered a prison cell.

"Come in, come in," Lagavullan rushed him in.

Swallowing down his nervosity, Nick stepped further into the room, trying not to succumb to the critical look of the imposing moose seemingly sitting on the ceiling. He took a seat on the chair opposite to the wall he was facing and began to put on his seatbelt before the moose pushed a button on his desk, causing the chair to slowly elevate upwards so they could talk on 'eye-level'.

"This anti-aging cream idea of yours seems to be quite promising," Lagavullan began to speak up as Nick's chair halted, both mammals now looking squarely at each other.

"Your application has been approved," he continued, Nick nodding curtly upon this, "But this is strictly on a trial basis, you understand?"

"O- of course," Nick nodded quickly.

"Are there any questions, Mr. Wilde?"

"Yeah," Nick replied, causing the moose to raise an eyebrow as he listened to the fox's question, "I was just wondering what all these people up my side do?"

The fox waved his hand in the direction of the window as he indicated all the mammals from the Below working in this building. Lagavullan didn't respond right away. He maintained eye contact with the nervous fox, gauging his body language before the moose finally answered, averting his gaze,

"They're merely adapters," he answered flatly, "They adapt our products to your world. You on the other hoof.. or paw have a real opportunity here. Company policy doesn't normally allow for someone from..," he moved his hoof on circular motion as he tried to find the right word, ".. _down below_. To hold such an important position, but were making an exception in your case."

Gliding a sheet of paper across the table, Lagavullan continued as he smiled at Nick, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Sign here, please."

This was it. The moment his plan would finally allow him to get into action. After Nick would sign this contract, he would be part of this company. He would be one of them. All of this, so he could finally find her again.

Eagerly grabbing the pen he was offered, Nick quickly proceeded to sign the piece of paper, just to realize that his arm was too short in order to reach it.

"Um.. could you..? You know?", Nick nervously chuckled before the moose let out an exasperated sigh as he pushed another button on his desk, causing Nick's chair to descend closer to the paper. Stretching his body, the fox was eventually able to swiftly sign the paper before Lagavullan took it back.

"Now then, a word of warning," he spoke up, causing Nick to shift his whole attention to the moose,

"We scrupulously observe a full separation between worlds here. That means there is to be no unnecessary contact with those up top. Just stick to your job and all will be well."

The moose again pushed the button, Nick's chair descending to the floor as he continued to talk, all the while maintaining eye contact as he watched the fox squirming under his gaze,

"One last thing. The rules are quite strict here. As you know, you'll be working with Upper world materials. This means that you will be thoroughly searched and weighed every time that you leave the premises. If they find any inverse-matter on you, you'll be fired and jailed on the spot."

Nick had to swallow the lump in his throat as he stared at the moose in front of him, his emeralds wide as he paid utmost attention to his words.

"But I have a feeling that this won't happen in your case," Lagavullan chuckled mirthfully, causing a shiver to run down Nick's spine,

"Will it, Mr. Wilde?"

"No, sir," Nick quickly answered, trying to keep his voice steady. The two of them maintained eye-contact as the fox fuddled on his uniform with sweaty palms, internally hoping that the moose couldn't somehow read minds. The silence between them was excruciatingly long and it seemed to Nick like an eternity until Lagavullan finally broke the contact and returned to his work,

"Try not to prove me wrong then. Dismissed."

-o-

_"-ollowing a metal robbery from the main pipeline forcing TransWorld to double their security."_

The TV was blaring through the warehouse as the sun had finished its descend towards the horizon, the warming light dissipating and making way for the moon to shine its white glow upon the industrial area of Zootopia. Albert was sitting at his desk as he watched the news coverage, his face scrunched up in disgust while Pablo was standing behind him as he frowned in anger, the two predators listening to the news anchor,

_"The three thieves from down below arrested last week were hanged this morning at dawn, raising interworld tensio-"_

Grunting dismissively the elder bear turned off the TV as he leaned back into his chair, his tired eyes averting from the screen as he mulled over the developments. The gray wolf standing behind him just sighed angrily, his paws on his hips. He was about to comment on the news as the loud screeching of the metal doors opening interrupted him, Nick entering the room reluctantly as the fox regarded his co-workers hesistantly,

"Hey."

Nick halted in front of Albert's desk as the two larger predators glared at him. The air was tense, everyone felt it. And Nick hated it. He clenched his fists nervously as he waited for the imminent onslaught, his gaze stoically remaining on the ground. Pablo was the first one to spoke up,

"Nice boss you got there," he spat, his voice laced with disgust as he crossed his arms. Nick was about to retort as he opened his mouth, but the bear beat him to it,

"You did NOT have to do this, Nick," Albert's voice boomed through the warehouse was he stood up from his chair, his brown eyes filled with disappointment and betrayal, "I could have gotten you that patent."

The bear shook his head as he sighed tiredly. Nick didn't dare to look up. He felt ashamed. He felt like he had stabbed them in their backs. They were the ones that took him in after he was released from jail, they were the ones who gave him a home and a job. They were his friends and family. And now he had decided to join up their biggest competition, their nemesis.

"TransWo… TransWorld is the worst thing that happened to us!" Albert sighed before he raised his voice. Albert never raised his voice. Nick frowned as he stood there like statue, his emeralds still focussed on the ground as he listened to the bear's chiding,

"And what now, you're.. you're one of them?!"

"Come one, Al!" Nick finally yelled back, finally looking up into the angry face of the elder predator. He clenched his fists as fiery emeralds regarded Albert, his voice raised as well,

"You don't really thi-!"

"What am I supposed to think, Nick?!" Albert interrupted him, slamming his fists on his desk and cutting him off as he continued in a lower voice,

"Those mammals are like vultures, and you're gonna give them your golden goose for peanuts?"

"We have nothing!" Nick retorted loudly, "We're from down below, Albert. I mean, that's just the way it is. We have nothing."

"Don't you tell me I'm nothing!" Albert boomed before he rounded his desk, striding towards the fox as the bear loomed over him, his giant clawed finger pointed at Nick's chest,

"This isn't nothing," he said, his other paw waving around and indicating the warehouse, "This is everything! And I gave you _everything_ , treated you like you were my own son!"

Tears welling up in his eyes, Nick had to break eye contact as he averted his gaze. Paws on his hips he continued to listen to the old bear, hearing how his voice began to break during his angry rant,

"And you know what you're gonna do?" Albert continued as his eyes were starting to get misty, "You're gonna get yourself killed! That's all you're gonna do… get yourself killed.."

Not being able to hold out any longer, Nick returned his gaze to the bear and his heart broke upon seeing his old friend actually crying. Albert had never been the one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He had always a good control over his emotions, and Nick really respected him for his hard shell. But now as he saw the elder bear shedding tears over him, he couldn't help but feel the respect for his old friend to grow tenfold. He was about to speak up, his lips trembling as he was looking for the right words, but before Nick could utter a single word, Albert had already spun around before walking out the door,

"Albert! Wait!" Nick called before he followed him out into the cool night air. Clouds were looming over the city, the faint moonlight only occasionally breaking through as Nick looked around frantically, looking for the old bear. Rubbing the tears from his eyes, the fox quickly found the unmistakable form of his friend in the dark before he swiftly ran up to him,

"Come on, Al! I didn't mean it like that," he tried to appease as he reached the bear. Albert didn't turn around, the bear continuing to walk through the industrial area, Nick's words falling on deaf ears.

"Albert, please, come on," Nick tried again, to no avail. Stopping in his tracks, the fox watched heartbroken as his friend, his mentor walked further away from him. Tears running down his face, Nick took another deep breath before he called out again,

"Don't you dare think that I have forgotten that TransWorld took away my entire family!"

Albert finally stopped in his tracks as he stood under the white light of the lamppost, his back still facing the crying fox. But seeing the bear not walking away anymore was more than Nick could have hoped for as the fox continued to talk, his voice stricken with grief,

"Look Albert, if.. if I could use TransWorld and.. and aunt Becky's pink powder just to.. I.. I.. I don't know.. Just to give my life some kind of hope. Then I'm gonna do it..

"Come on Albert, please!" Nick begged as the bear still hadn't turned around, "Come one, I need your help, please!"

After a few painful moments, the bear finally sighed before he turned around to regard the crying fox, his own brown eyes misty from his protégé's speech as he began to take slow steps back towards him,

"Alright," he said quietly, trying not to choke on his tears as the bear wiped them away from his eyes, "Alright, I'll help."

Breathing out in relief Nick began to close the distance between them until they eventually embraced each other, both of them bawling their eyes out as forgiveness and understanding were exchanged.

Nick had lost a lot of things over the course of his short life. But he knew he could always count on Albert and Pablo to have his back.

And damn, it felt good to have someone to lean on.

-o-

A lightbulb buzzed over her head and caused her ears to twitch as Judy sat in a circle, surrounded by other mammals that were being hunted by the same demons. Sitting cross-legged in her chair, the bunny fiddled on her blouse as he amethyst eyes darted nervously around the room. She didn't want to be here, but upon her parents request she had eventually agreed to take part of this session.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep steadying breath, Judy tried to pull herself together as her ears picked up the mammal sitting opposite to her in the circle speaking up,

"Okay, today we have someone joining us for the first time," the elder stag began before he looked into Judy's direction, causing her to open her eyes before she looked around nervously, feeling the other mammals now focussing on her,

"Hello, Judy," the stag greeted her warmly before the other mammals chimed in, welcoming her friendly as they sent her warm smiles. Judy could only smile awkwardly back as she tried to remain calm. She didn't like the attention, especially not in these circumstances. Nonetheless she did her best to appear calm,

"Hi. I'm Judy. Judy Hopps," she began, And, uhm.. I had an accident when I was a teenager."

She averted her gaze as she stared into her lap, small incoherent speckles of memories reappearing in her mind as she scrunched up her face in concentration,

"Uhm.. everything before that is gone. Sometimes things come back to me in dreams, but..", she sighed before she continued, "I'm never sure if they're real or if I'm making them up. It's frustrating," she chuckled mirthlessly as she tried to express her feeling of helplessness. Clenching her tiny paws, she frowned as she continued,

"You know, I.. I know that whatever is missing, it's in there. But.. but it scares me," she breathed out, her voice slightly trembling before she swallowed, trying to keep her voice steady. Again small flickers began to flash through her inner eye. She tried the best she could, but it seemed impossible for her to make any sense out of all the weird shapes and colors. There was red. There was green. There was screaming. She didn't know what to do with that information, and just like the buzzing of the lightbulb above her, the images began to fade and reappear like a broken light switch.

"Mostly it just feels like something's missing. Something important."


	6. Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with a new chapter! I know it's very short, but I feel like it's the best way to cut the story here. Just see it as a filler chapter where we get to know Cypher a little better and the first preparations for Nick's plan are put into action.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

A week had passed since Nick had been employed by TransWorld as researcher and he had spent his time working on his formula with as much dedication as always. Things between him and Albert had calmed down again, much to the fox's relief. He wouldn't know how he would have been able to do all of this without his family and he was all the more thankful for their support, even if he was literally working for the enemy now.

But he knew all of this would be worth it if he would find her.

Before he was able to go and look for her though, he had some work to do. It would raise suspicion if the newbie would just wander around the building instead of doing his job. Besides, Judy was working in the Upper section. With all the security it was nearly impossible for Nick to somehow get up there, not to mention find her. But Nick had never been the fox to back down easily from a challenge.

So while Nick was working on some inverse matter for his project, a loud ringing echoing through the office hall announced him that it was time for a break. Setting down his tools and his goggles, the fox sighed as he lifted himself up from his chair. From all the sitting throughout the day his tail started to hurt like hell and he had to stretch himself for a bit, causing his joints to pop satisfyingly.

Sighing, Nick was about to leave his cubicle before a voice above him made him stop in his tracks. Ears perking up, emerald eyes shot up and met with warm ruby ones. Over the course of the week Nick came quickly to the realization that the white wolf, Cypher was a quite friendly and approachable mammal. Actually he was the only mammal inside this building that was actually willing to talk with Nick, and that was enough for Nick to send him a smile as he regarded the wolf.

"About time for lunch break. I'm famished," the wolf quipped as he himself stood up from his desk, "You wanna drop by the smoking room after lunch? We could have a little conversation, you know?"

He winked at Nick and while the fox didn't quite know what the wolf was trying to say, he just nodded curtly while sending him a warm smile and a mock salute before he left for lunch.

-o-

"Hey, Cypher? Mind if I come in?"

Nick entered the smoking room wearily as his emeralds started to roam the room. Much like every other room or office inside this building, the floor and walls were black marble, reflecting the pristine white lights, while the furniture like the couches and loveseats were made out of brown fake leather. Again Nick noticed a particular lack of plants or decoration and how blank the rooms appeared.

"Hm? Oh come in, come in!" Cypher exclaimed as he turned around to face the visitor. His ruby eyes sparked up in joy as soon as he saw Nick, his white tail wagging comically. Nick had to suppress a chuckle as he closed the door behind him before crossing the room. Looking up at the wolf who was already seated in a cushioned loveseat, he also saw how Cypher was already smoking a cigar, the smoke wafting through the room as the wolf exhaled the sharp fume.

"Want a cigar?"

"Oh no, I.. I don't smoke," Nick answered, politely refusing the wolf's offer. Cypher just shrugged as he continued to puff, the fox sitting across from him on the ceiling as they regarded each other.

"Do you see this?" Cypher asked after a moment of silence, his free paw waving around the room as his relaxed eyes roamed around, "Empty. Not a single mammal in this room. No one in TransWorld smokes. Except me."

Cypher chuckled mirthfully, the smoke escaping his mouth while doing so as Nick just smiled. While knowing Cypher for only a week, he quickly grew fond of the white wolf. While being quite intimidating as the wolf was rather huge for his species, Cypher was anything but violent. He was docile and helpful, always open for banter. Nick really appreciated to have found a friend inside this building.

"Mammals have a funny way of seeing things here," Cypher continued calmly, his posture relaxed with half-lidded eyes, "Anything or anyone different is… well they say frowned upon."

His smile slightly dropped as his eyes wandered around the empty room. Nick felt bad for the wolf. He knew exactly how he felt, how it felt to be excluded and to be made fun off for being different. Mammals were cruel, Nick knew that from very early on and the best thing one could do was to just ignore them. The fox was about to say something encouraging before Cypher straightened himself from his slumped position, sitting on the edge of the seat as he looked at Nick with a curious expression,

"Can I ask you a favor?"

Intrigued, Nick nodded as he replied, "Yeah. Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"Can you.." Cypher hesitated, "Can you get me some stamps?"

Staring at the wolf with wide emeralds, Nick wasn't quite sure if he had heard him right. Here he was, having a conversation with a misunderstood wolf and suddenly he was asking for stamps?

"Uh, some stamps?" Nick asked confused.

"Yeah… stamps," Cypher replied, the usual warm sparke returning to his ruby eyes, "I, uh… I don't like to boast, but… I got one of the largest known stamps collections up top. And if you can get me some from your side… Oh, boy!"

It finally clicked inside Nick's mind, causing the fox to chuckle sheepishly as he looked at the excited wolf.

"Uh.. yeah. Yeah! Sure, of course," Nick agreed, nodding as he smiled at the wolf.

"Great! Awesome!" Cypher's eyes lit up like a kit on Christmas Eve and Nick had to suppress a chuckle upon seeing the joy from the wolf. Cypher slumped back in his seat as he took another drag from his cigar, the smoke almost surrounding the wolf completely as he spoke up again,

"So," he began, "Anti-gravity, huh?"

"Yeah," Nick nodded, "You know, I… I've.. well, I've been working on this, uh… it's an anti-aging cream."

"Oh, alright. Well, I'm here if you need me, expert in conductivity, in computer programming, anything you need, anything. Just ask."

Cypher send him a confident smirk and Nick truly felt like he could take him at his words. Then something inside his mind clicked. His whole purpose being here and working for TransWorld was to find Judy. He knew she was somewhere up there in the Upper part of the building. All he didn't know was how to get there, to somehow bypass the security in order to find. But in order to do that he would need someone on the other side. He needed a companion, a friend he could trust that they wouldn't betray him. And as Nick looked into the warm and friendly eyes of the jovial wolf, he was sure he had found this one companion.

"Well, I guess there could be something you could help me with.."

-o-

"So what's your plan?"

Albert, Nick and Pablo were sitting at the harbor of the industrial area, the high water towers and buildings looming behind them over their heads as the three predators gazed over the water in front of them, their feet dangling above the water as they talked to each other. Albert had raised the question, the bear averting his gaze from the black water. The moon was high above them, barely visible from between the two planets. Light from the two worlds and the stars were reflected from the water and created a breathtaking image, as the waves splashed softly against the boats and buildings, creating a pleasant white noise. Nick, who sat between the wolf and bear, turned his head as he regarded his concerned friend,

"I don't know yet," he shrugged before he returned his gaze to the water, his feet dangling freely above the unknown black, "Working on it."

Pablo just sighed as he replied, "But.. you've seen her, right?"

The fox shook his head, "No, I mean.. I.. I haven't actually seen her, but.. but she's there, Pablo."

Nick averted his gaze from the water and looked up, staring at the giant building in the middle of the city, TransWorld. Even at night, the building seemed to be never asleep, its light always glowing as it loomed over the two worlds. A smile spread across Nick's face as he watched how the lights of the many offices occasionally turned off while others turned on. It was like a pattern, a rhythm he couldn't quite grasp. As if he was able to watch a melody as the building seemed to be alive, breathing with the lights. And somewhere in this building, in this living concrete giant, was Judy. The mammal he had loved, still loved to this day.

"She's just like fifth floors above me, Pablo. She is so close, I can't give up now," Nick continued, his emeralds returning to the wolf beside him. Pablo frowned upon his answer. The wolf didn't like this plan, not at all.

"Nick, it's been like ten years since you last saw her. What if she doesn't remember? What if she doesn't love you anymore?

"Are you sure it's worth it?"

Much to his surprise, Nick's smile broadened as the fox returned his gaze to the building in front of them. Of course Nick had asked himself these questions many times over the years, wondering if she was somewhere out there. If she had survived the accident, and if yes, if she still feels the same way for him like he feels for her. But something inside him, inside his heart screamed at him that this was the right thing to do. Nothing else would make sense to Nick. Call him blinded by love but he'll be damned to let an opportunity go like this one. His heart yearned for his bunny, so who was he to refuse it it's wish?

"Absolutely, one hundred percent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for now! Next chapter should be out by next week, until then you guys can read my main story "Hidden"! It's definitely longer :)
> 
> Next chapter is going to cover Nick's first steps in order to find his beloved bunny, so stay tuned!
> 
> ~Bye!


	7. Preparations

Nick finally had a plan. Over the next days Nick had worked on his project just like it was expected from him. Day after day he would get samples of inverse-matter, small rectangle metal plates in order for him to research the particular matter from above. Of course he would only get the delivery of the samples under the watchful gazes of the security who accompanied him every time. Of course it made him nervous, the chances of being caught being astronomically high. But the fox did his best to remain calm and as inconspicuous as possible as he received another delivery of samples.

The mammals wearing their respective lab coats and work uniforms were pushing a small cart through the aisles of cubicles as they neared Nick's humble office. Looking up from his work, the mammals wordlessly delivered Nick the inverse-matter as Nick accepted them cautiously, careful not to actually touch the metal as it would become hot if someone from the Below would touch something from the Upper without any protective wear. Quickly putting the inverse-matter into a small fridge under his desk, Nick returned to his work after waving the other workers goodbye as they left his office.

No words were exchanged during the delivery. It wasn't like there were any needed. Nick didn't particularly liked these mammal, whether they were from the Below or from the Upper. So the fox had decided to keep things as professional as possible, only talking if it was really necessary. The only exception being the white wolf Cypher above him. Nick could safely say that the wolf was the only mammal, aside from Judy, he truly liked.

Returning to his work, Nick regarded the numerous amounts of test tubes and glass beakers filled with pink liquid on his desk. His work was fairly easy; his job was it to use the inverse-matter to research its nature in order to perfect his project. His anti-aging cream only worked for a few seconds. Apparently Nick had already the solution and the right formula, the fact that the inverse-matter was seemingly entering a symbiotic reaction with the matter from his world and ultimately cancelling out either effects of gravitation was proof that Nick was on the right track. Unfortunately he couldn't perfectly time the reaction, causing the bond between the unstable matters to quickly crumble.

He was missing something, a certain technique. Or maybe a certain ingredient. Maybe he was doing something amiss and was looking at it from a completely wrong perspective.

Grumbling, the fox put on his safety goggles before he opened the fridge under his desk. Putting on his protective gloves the fox then took out the inverse-matter before laying it 'down' on the underside of his desk as the gravity of the Upper would pull the inverse-matter up, causing it to seemingly cling on the underside.

Hours after hours went by and Nick was sure he wasn't a single step further. No matter what he tried, he couldn't find the solution. Looking out the huge windows lining up the walls from either side, Nick could see that the sky was already darkening, the sun slowly being replaced by the moon. Sighing exasperatedly, the fox slumped into his chair as he let his head fall back on the backside of his chair. Closing his emeralds, his ears started to pivot around the office, noticing the particular lack of sounds. Opening his eyes and looking around, his suspicions were confirmed. He was so invested in his work he had failed to notice that everyone else had already left the office, leaving him alone in the ocean of cubicles.

Standing up from his desk and stretching his sore bones from sitting all day, Nick again made sure that he was truly alone, his eyes roaming the room. Not seeing and hearing anyone, a smile spread onto his lips as the fox looked down at the metal plates he had managed to sneak under the table during his work.

"Showtime."

Pulling out a metal briefcase from the Upper, Nick quickly put all the inverse-matter he had acquired from under the table into the briefcase before closing it and hurrying through the office. Eyes nervously darting around, Nick clutched the briefcase tightly under his arm as the gravitation from the Upper world was pulling it up. His legs started to move faster as his heart also picked up a pace, his paws starting to get sweaty as Nick rushed through the empty building, trying to be as quiet as possible in order not to alarm any other mammals who could have been on this floor. Carefully peeking around the corner, Nick couldn't see anyone and as his ears swiveled around the area he couldn't pick up any sounds, much to his relief. It seemed like he was completely alone on this floor. Perfect.

Continuing his way through the hallways, Nick knew exactly where he was going. He had spent the last couple days formulating a plan on how he could find and visit Judy without being caught as contact between the worlds was strictly forbidden. Somehow he had to disguise himself as an Upper. Easier said than done. Especially if he was on his own.

Fortunately, he wasn't. Cypher proved to be a very helpful and cooperative individual as the two of them quickly became friends. After telling the wolf of his plan, Cypher immediately agreed to help him find his bunny, of course in exchange for stamps from the Below as Nick remembered a few days ago.

-o-

"Amazing!" The wolf's ruby eyes lit up in joy as he gazed upon the small wooden box he had just received from Nick. The two of them were inside the break room as Cypher was puffing on his cigar while Nick just stood there, watching him as if he was a kit on Christmas Eve. Smiling, Nick watched as Cypher began to gloat over the stamps inside the box.

"The be.. The bear with no fur! I can't believe it!" he exclaimed as he picked out a particular stamp depicting a furless bear, causing Nick to chuckle. Putting his paws into his pockets, Nick watched patiently as Cypher closed the wooden box before returning his gaze to Nick.

"Alright, my friend," Cypher began, "You have done your part of the deal, now it's my turn. How can I help you in your quest of finding the bunny?"

Suppressing a chuckle, Nick just smirked as he answered, "I need a certain piece of clothing, something thick so I can hide something under it without anyone noticing."

"You want like a sport shirt?" Cypher asked, raising a brow. Nick shook his head,

"No, no.. I-"

"T-Shirt?" Cypher interrupted him, "One of the button-down collars?"

"YES! Yes, like a normal button-down shirt."

The wolf nodded as he pulled out a small notepad from his pocket, beginning to note down the information, "You want a jacket?"

"Uh, sure. Yeah like… I don't know.. a suit jacket."

Cypher quickly jotted it down before looking back at Nick, flashing a predatory grin,

"Consider it done."

-o-

And now here he was. Running through the building with a briefcase full of inverse-matter for which he could possibly land in jail for the rest of his life if he was caught. Chuckling morbidly, Nick continued his way as he rushed through the hallway before exiting it through a metal door leading to a staircase. The thought of what he was actually doing right now, the sheer absurdity of how dangerous this whole thing was seemed ridiculous to Nick. He was literally risking his life, the freedom of the rest of his life, so he could see the bunny he hadn't seen for ten years. Heck, he wasn't even sure if Judy would remember him after all this time, Nick even thought she was dead.

But Nick was sure, no matter how much time would pass, he could never forget her. He could never forget her beautiful smile, her vibrant eyes, her pure soul as it brightened every single day of his dull life. She was his soul mate, and he'll be damned if he would forget her.

Determination rising inside of him, Nick rushed up the stairs until he finally reached the room he was looking for. Slightly panting from all the running, Nick tightened his grip on the briefcase before entering the cramped room.

It was some kind of boiler room, huge pipes lining up the walls and covering the whole ceiling as Nick let his gaze wander around the place. A single lamp on the ceiling illuminated the whole room consisting bland concrete walls. Quickly crossing the room, the fox looked up as his gaze landed upon a small vent opening above him. Lifting the briefcase over his head, he put down the case on the ceiling as he started to climb up a ladder to the vent. Swiftly opening the vent and the briefcase, Nick started to put all the inverse-matter he had managed to steal inside the vent, hiding it from the prying eyes of the security and his boss. He knew from Cypher and from his own investigations that the boiler room lacked any security cameras, allowing Nick to pull of his plan without any interference.

Closing the vent and jumping back down onto the floor, Nick let out a sigh of relief as he put his paws on his hips. A smile crept onto his face as Nick thought about his plan. He had managed to sneak in here a couple times already and technically stealing more than enough inverse-matter in order for him to execute his plan. His relieved expression turned into a determined one as his thoughts wandered to a certain bunny.

 _Soon_ , he thought. _Soon we will meet again, Judy._

-o-

"Hey fox!"

Nick looked up from his work as a condescending voice sounded from above. Two stags in sharp suits were standing above him on the ceiling, looking up and sneering at him as they joked about the fox.

"Is that a beauty cream for Halloween?" one of them rhetorically asked, causing his friend to chuckle before he replied,

"No, no. Don't you know? They got different standards of beauty down below. The uglier the better."

The two of them continued their sneering before they eventually walked away, their laughter dying down as the distance between them and Nick grew. Closing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh, Nick did his best to just ignore the constant teasing he received from his co-workers. The reasons for the bullying ranged from speciesism to classism, insulting him for being either poor or a fox. It didn't matter as long as they could get a good laugh at his expense.

"Don't let those guys get to you," another voice from above spoke up. Recognizing the warm and friendly voice of Cypher, Nick opened his eyes as he looked up at the compassionate wolf,

"They're jealous, that's all," he continued, "Are you staying late?"

"Yeah," Nick replied as he sent the wolf a smile, "you know, I thought I'd stay and finish up a few things."

"Hmm," Cypher hummed as he regarded the fox with an amused raised brow, "You realize they don't pay overtime, right?"

"Yeah," Nick chuckled, "I know."

"Okay," Cypher said, "alright, see you tomorrow! Don't work too hard!"

With that the wolf stood up from his chair as he put on his jacket. With a last wave he too left his cubicle as numerous other workers followed suit.

Nick's eyes followed the white form of the wolf disappearing around the corner before he turned back to his work. But instead of focussing on his project, the fox's mind was starting to wander. Time for the next step.

Glancing around the room, the fox noticed he was yet again left alone among the sea of cubicles, every mammal having already left for home. But other than the last few days, Nick didn't need to smuggle any inverse-matter to the boiler room as he had already enough. No, this was an opening for his next move;

Arranging a date with Judy Hopps.

-o-

_Ring - Ring!_

Her ear twitched upon hearing the telephone from the cubicle beside her as she sat at her own desk filling out various forms and paperwork. The bunny sat alone in the small office as she was focussed on finishing her work so she could finally go home. She was beyond exhausted, having spent most of the day just sitting here, jotting down notes, filling out paperwork, and answering calls. And much to her disappointment, she was still not done, hence the need for her pushing overtime.

_Ring - Ring!_

Letting out a quiet groan, the bunny closed her blue eyes as she ran her paws through her brown fur. Eventually Paula looked up from her work, her tired eyes glancing around the room until she found the phone that was ringing. Just like she had suspected, it came from Judy's desk.

Picking herself up from her chair, the bunny swiftly crossed the room as she went to answer the call, lifting the phone to her ear,

"Hello?" she answered, her voice strained from all the work, "Yes, it is… No, I'm sorry, she's got home for tonight….."

As she listened to the mammal on the other side of the phone, a sly smile spread upon her tired face, definitely reading something between the lines of the mammal, "Yeah, you can come by tomorrow…. Okay, what's your name again?"

Quickly picking up a notepad and a pen, Paula readied herself to jot down the name of the mammal.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the phone, Nick was doing his best to balance himself on top of his chair, which he had lifted on top of his desk. The small fox had to stretch himself as he stood on his toes in order for him to reach the telephone on Cypher's desk as he talked to the female mammal. Careful not to slip, he nervously replied,

"BO-RU-CHOWITZ," a smile spread across his face as he heard the friendly reply, "Thank you, okay see you tomorrow."

Setting the phone back down on Cypher's desk, Nick carefully climbed back down, making sure not to tip over the chair. Finally reaching the bottom of the chair-desk-tower, Nick let out a sigh of relief as he thought about what he had just done. Smiling warmly, a thrill of anticipation rose inside of him as his heart began to flutter. Just thinking about meeting Judy again, seeing her again filled him with warmth and joy.

Nick fist pumped excitedly followed by a triumphant, "Yes!"


	8. Remember Me?

„Believe me Nick, it's gonna burn."

Albert was just in the process of strapping the paw-made vest around Nick's lithe body together with Pablo as the three of them were working in the warehouse. It was already dark outside, the warm orange glowing of the many streetlights outside visible through the windows.

"If it pinches, just use a little water to cool it down, alright?"

Pulling on the last strap and tightening the vest, the bear glanced one more time over it, making sure everything was fastened and in place. The vest Nick had received from Cypher a few days ago was a thin, yet sturdy piece of clothing, allowing him to carry around multiple plates of inverse-matter. The plates were quite heavy, therefore able to keep Nick in the Upper world, the gravitation there pulling him upwards if he was to wear the vest with the plates. It was part of his plan on visiting Judy. As soon as he would put on the jacket, he would be able to walk freely around the Upper world without anyone knowing differently.

"Please remember, you won't last an hour with these kind of things on," Albert reminded him as he patted him on his shoulder, signalling him that everything was in place. Rolling his eyes, Nick smirked as he replied,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know."

Glancing over to Pablo who was working on another strap for Nick's arms and legs, allowing him to strap more plates onto his body, the wolf didn't look up once from his work before he set down his tools and threw the strap squarely into Nick's face, causing the fox to raise a questioning brow at the agitated wolf,

"Pablo, what's up with you?" Nick asked, setting the strap onto the table as he regarded the wolf who had turned around. Seeing the palpable tension between the two, Albert decided to leave them alone, the bear striding into the backroom.

"What is it?" Nick asked again as he stepped closer to the wolf and standing at the other side of Pablo's desk. The wolf didn't look into Nick's eyes. Instead he just snorted,

"Alright, what's your plan, huh?" Pablo asked, finally turning to Nick to glare at him, hazel eyes burning angrily, "You dress up in disguise, you show up to meet her, and then what? Huh?"

Eyes slightly widening from the sudden explosion, Nick steadied himself on the desk as he regarded the wolf. Letting out a sigh, Nick scratched the back of his neck as he thought about his plan. Pablo had a point. His plan was simple, too simple. It only consisted him meeting Judy, Nick didn't actually considered what he should do after that.

"Then.. uh..," Nick stammered, "I- I don't know."

Pablo just stared in disbelief at Nick, disappointment and agitation apparent on his face,

"You don't know?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"No, I don't know," Nick replied as he looked back at Pablo. The wolf shook his head as he raised a paw,

"Alright, let me get this straight okay? She sees you, alright. She throws herself into your arms, says she loves you, and… and.. she never forgot about you."

"Yeah, yeah maybe-" Nick nodded before being interrupted.

"Okay. Since you're starting to burn up by now, you tell her you love her too, but you really have to go," Pablo's voice started to get louder by the end of his rant, growing more agitated, "And if you don't get caught or shot, maybe you see her again in ten years!"

Nick had to frown at Pablo's rant, but the wolf wasn't done yet,

"Besides, what... you… you really think she just waited for you?" the wolf asked angrily. Nick's expression hardened as he answered,

"Yeah, I do."

"You do?"

"Yeah, actually I do."

The wolf shook his head upon Nick's answer, causing Nick's frown to deepen before the wolf continued,

"Nick, you're from down Below, okay? And a fox at that. Don't you get that? Besides, you know what? I bet she calls the cops the second she sees you!"

Pablo emphasized his point by digging a finger into Nick's chest, slightly shoving the fox backwards. Nick just snorted at the wolf's statement,

"Don't be ridiculous. She's not gonna call the cops."

"Nick, you're so delusional. Why the hell are so obsessed with those mammals anyway, huh? You know, my brother was the same way," Pablo continued, his hazel eyes starting to get misty during his rant, "When he went up there and… well. He never came back. You wanna end up like him, Nick? Do you?"

Not waiting for an answer the wolf rounded the desk and stormed out of the room, leaving a baffled fox behind as Nick followed the form of his friend disappearing around the corner. The fox let out a weary sigh as he turned back around to steady himself on the desk, his mind running wild with guilt and mixed feelings. Pablo did have a point, Nick had to admit it. But he was already this far. He couldn't possibly give up now.

Pablo would have to understand. Nick loved Judy, and there was no force of nature that could stop him from seeing her. Clenching his fists, Nick straightened himself before he grabbed his vest and the straps. He would pull this through, no matter what.

-o-

It was time.

Again Nick waited until it was way after closing time, most of the workers of TransWorld already having left the building as Nick proceeded to sneak back into the boiler room. Heart and mind racing from all the adrenaline in his veins, the fox forced himself to calm down as he breathed slowly in and out. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He was about to break several laws, risking his life and freedom, but damn, it was worth it.

Entering the boiler room the fox spent the next few minutes putting on his vest, getting the inverse-matter from the vent and putting them into the designated straps on his body. Plate after plate, Nick wasn't sure how many he had stolen but it must have been dozens. He put them everywhere he could, in every nook and cranny of his body where he would be able to carry it while being able to move around freely. As Nick finished his preparations, the fox stood up after strapping a few plates onto his leg and as soon as he was on his feet the fox felt like he was slightly floating.

"Woah," Nick exclaimed, his body feeling incredibly light as he tried to walk. It seemed to be harder than Nick had imagined, the inverse-matter pulling him up while he himself was being pulled down by his planet. He was almost floating by now. Steadying himself on the back wall, Nick's feet suddenly became very light. Eyes widening, the fox realized that the many plates on his legs were starting to get heavy, or light from his perspective. Flailing his arms around, the fox tried to keep himself steady to no avail, before he landed painfully on his head, now laying sprawled out.

On the ceiling.

"Shit," Nick grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his head before opening his eyes, realizing that he was actually sitting on the ceiling. A broad smile on his face, he fist pumped before letting out a triumphant "Yes!".

Picking himself up, now walking on the Upper world, Nick quickly put on the jacket and shirt he had received from Cypher. Glancing at himself through a small handheld mirror, the fox swiftly checked himself if he was presentable. After all he we was about to meet the love of his life. The least he could do was to look good.

After finding that he looked presentable enough, he was about to dash through the door, exiting the boiler room after he would clean up the evidence. No one would know that he was here, no one would suspect him of being a mammal from the Below. He had a perfect disguise, and now it was time for the actual plan.

Finding Judy.

But as Nick was about to clean up, a sudden bang of a metal door from the outside caused the fox to spin around in shock, knocking down the mirror in the process with his elbow and causing it to shatter in hundred pieces on the floor. On the other side.

"Fuck!" Nick exclaimed as he looked up at the mess, his ears perking up as he heard someone racing up the stairs towards the boiler room.

 _"Who's there?"_ came a muffled question from the outside, Nick's heart racing as he hurriedly put everything away, shoving the evidence down into the vent.

 _"Possible breach,"_ Nick heard the security mammal talking into his radio as Nick dashed through the other door leading to a bridge connecting the two worlds, his tail disappearing through the door just in time as a badger dressed in security uniform bursted into the room. The badger looked around the boiler room, his scrutinizing gaze wandering around the interior until they fell upon the glass shards and a broken mirror on the ground.

Nick sprinted along the ceiling as fast as his legs could carry him, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him. Much to his disappointment, a badger from the Below opened the door before he could round the corner, seeing Nick's tail disappearing. The badger began to chase after Nick, running on the ground while Nick ran on the ceiling. Breathing heavily from the constant running, Nick continued to run along the hallway until he reached a heavy metal door. Slamming his body against the door and swinging it open, Nick's heart leapt into his throat as he suddenly fell, his body painfully landing on the bridge leading to the Upper world. Grunting as he picked himself up, the fox ignored the pain as he quickly dashed along the bridge before disappearing through another door leading back into the building. As soon as the door closed, the badger bursted through the door from the hallway, his eyes roaming the bridge frantically. Panting heavily and stopping in his tracks, the badger couldn't see anyone on the bridge anymore. Snorting annoyedly, he eventually turned around and returned to the door he came from as he talked into his radio…

-o-

_Seventh floor on the Upper side, TransWorld_

"Ugh."

The gray bunny let out an agitated sigh as she took a step back from her model. Amethyst eyes roamed the model skeptically before Judy slumped her shoulders, putting her paws on her hips as she regarded her work. It was a exact replica of the TransWorld building in a much smaller scale made out of paper for her most recent project. Unfortunately the model in this scale was still a huge project for her, the model looming over her like a giant statue as it was about seven feet tall. The main problem was, that due to the height of the model and the material she was forced to use, the model tended to stand slightly askew.

Her ears slumping behind her head, Judy was about to throw the towel and call it a day, as a sudden bing from the elevator caused her ears to perk up. Turning her head, she watched as a young handsome red fox dressed in a cheap suit walked into the office, seemingly extremely nervous as his emerald eyes darted frantically around the room until they fell on her. Immediately his eyes brightened up upon seeing her, a broad smile growing onto his lips, causing her cheeks to heat up slightly before she turned away.

Walking away from her model towards her cubicle, Judy was about to sort through some paperwork before noticing a certain fox standing very close to her. Glancing up at the grinning fox, a strange feeling started to churn up inside of her.

_What was up with that fox? Why is he staring at me like that? Is he some stalker or anything? His eyes are pretty though.._

"Judy, it's me!"

_Oh sweet cheese and crackers, he knows my name! He's a stalker!_

"Psst!"

Judy glanced nervously over to one of her co-workers, a brown furred bunny named Paula with golden eyes, as she mouthed the name Boruchowitz. Realizing that Paula was trying to tell her that the fox beside her was apparently that mammal Boruchowitz who had requested an appointment with her the other day, Judy visibly relaxed. How could she be so naive? Internally slapping herself for believing that this adorable fox could be a stalker, she turned around to regard the still smiling fox.

Nick couldn't believe it. He felt like he was in a dream, some kind of psychedelic trip as it could be the only explanation as to why he felt so ecstatic right now. His heart was fluttering like the first time he had met her and upon seeing her, her beautifully soft gray fur, her vibrant pools of amethyst that he could swear he was drowning in.. She was just as beautiful as the day he had met her. And most importantly, she was real.

This wasn't a dream. His racing heart and sweaty palms being proof, that all of this was very real. He had found her. His love, his bunny, his soulmate. He suddenly felt the sudden urge to just pick her up in a hug and shower her with kisses, but he had to hold himself back. Something was wrong. He didn't know what it was, but something didn't feel right. The moment Nick had stepped into the office, Judy had barely acknowledged him. Quite on the contrary, she was rather cold towards him. Turning her back to him, trying not to look into his eyes, walking away from him…

What was she trying to tell him? Did she not want him anymore? Did she replace him? Thousand other thoughts raced through his head and he was just about to voice his concern, before Judy finally turned around to regard him, her body visibly relaxed and her smile friendly, yet missing the warmth he had yearned for. And as she opened her mouth, her next words were absolute proof that something was definitely wrong,

"Oh, yes, Mr. Boruchowitz, right? I'll be with you in a second," and with that the bunny dropped her smile before rounding Nick and returning to her model, leaving a dumbstruck fox behind as he followed her with shellshocked emeralds.

What was happening? Did she not recognize him? Had he changed that much over the years? Did she forget him?

Shoulders slumping and arms falling to his sides, Nick could only watch as his love continued to work on her project, seemingly already having forgotten him. A sudden tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts as he reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Judy, looking into the curious golden eyes of the brown furred bunny,

"Hey, I'm Paula", she greeted him friendly, a warm smile on her lips, "We spoke on the phone yesterday. I didn't realize you guys know each other."

She pointed at Judy who had returned to her model as the bunny circled the replica, a skeptical expression on her face as her nose twitched adorably. Nick followed her gaze and watched her with yearning and confused eyes,

"Yeah, I- n.. no, we do. I mean, I can't believe she would just ignore me like that."

"No, no," Paula tried to appease, causing the fox to turn back to her, "No, she just forgets things. It's her amnesia."

Upon hearing this, Nick widened his eyes as he spun around to regard the gray bunny. Not believing what he was hearing he stammered, "W… wait, she.. she has amnesia?"

"Yeah, since her accident," Paula answered, a compassionate look in her eyes as the bunny looked at her friend.

Memories flashing by Nick's inner eyes of the fateful day they when he had dropped Judy. When they were caught and Nick landed in jail for breaking the law. The day they were torn apart.

_She has amnesia because of me, and now she doesn't remember me at all…_

It was sickening. Nick felt like he was about to throw up. He had dropped her that day, he had almost killed his love. And for his mistake, some kind of fucked up universal game decided that she had to forget him. It was redemption for his mistakes, it was a second chance for Judy. It was poetic justice in its most fucked up way in the eyes of Nick, and he couldn't bear it.

"You wanted to see me?"

A sudden voice behind him pulled Nick out of his thoughts as he turned around to regard the bunny he had been looking for. Judy now stood in front of Nick, looking expectantly up at him as she waited for his answer. In her eyes, Nick was nothing more than a client who had made an appointment to talk to her.

"Uh, yeah," Nick slowly answered as his heart threatened to break, "Yeah, no I did, uh.. Look, you know, I thought that we.. uh.. that this product that I've been working on.. I thought it might be of some interest to you. Professionally speaking."

"Okay?" Judy uttered, seemingly perplexed by Nick's strange behavior as she smiled nervously.

"Uh, yeah. I… uh.. Oh would you.. Can I show you?" stammered Nick as he hurriedly reached into his pocket, remembering the small flask containing the pink liquid he carried with him.

"Oh, yeah, sure. That's just a mock-up," Judy smiled as she watched the fox pulling out the strange liquid from his pocket before she followed him to her model. The bunny watched curiously as Nick started to pour some drops of the liquid on her crooked model, her eyes slowly wandering from her model to the fox. She didn't know why, but she was getting strange vibes from him. Not necessarily bad vibes, just strange. She had to admit that the fox did look cute in his slightly oversized suit, his bushy tail swishing to and fro while his pretty emeralds were focussed on his task. A smile spread on her lips as she watched the fox doing his work. Strange or not, he was definitely something else.

"You know, it takes a second to work, so.." Nick spoke up as he finished his work, putting the flask back into his pocket as the two mammals stood side by side, waiting for Nick's project to take effect. Nick had to physically restrain himself from getting closer to Judy as he stood beside her. He still felt the urge to just touch her, to hug her, or anything. But he couldn't. Not now at least. After all, he wouldn't be Nick if he was to give up this easily.

"You know, I've.. uh," Nick stammered, his eyes occasionally flickering at the bunny, "I've been working with this young tod, who's just recently started working here at TransWorld. But, uh.. He had like a troubled childhood. He grew up in an orphanage, you know?"

"Oh that's terrible," Judy retorted as she regarded Nick with a compassionate gaze, seemingly not catching on on what Nick was trying to do.

"Yeah," Nick tried again, "You know his aunt? His aunt Becky? Who's like his only real family?"

"Well, no," Judy answered slowly, confusion on her face, "You should've brought him."

"Yeah, uh.. well. The truth is that he couldn't come."

"Oh, why not?"

"Well, because…"

_Should I tell her? No. Yes. Maybe? Fuck it!_

".. he's from down Below."

Time seemed to stop as Nick finished his sentence, the fox staring expectantly at the bunny with wide desperate emeralds as Judy continued to stare at him dumbfoundedly. He swore she could hear his racing heart with her astute hearing and he had to force himself to calm down. But as the bunny suddenly started to chuckle, Nick started to relax as he joined in on her laughter. He didn't know why he was laughing. Maybe it was relief that she didn't think he was crazy. Maybe he didn't want to seem weird. Maybe he was really going crazy, who the hell knows?! All of these questions became irrelevant as soon as Nick saw the bunny laugh. The sound of her laugh. It was like music in his ears, like the most beautiful symphony ever written, and he could never get enough from it.

"Oh, sorry. Sorry, I'm sorry," Judy giggled, "I just don't know why you're telling me this."

"Heh, well," Nick smiled, "Anyway, I thought that the product might be of some… interest."

Glancing back at the model, the two mammals watched as the just now crooked model straightened itself almost magically. Amethyst eyes brightened up as Judy watched her model standing now ramrod straight just like she wanted it.

"That's amazing," she gushed, "It's perfectly straight! What is this stuff?"

She turned around to look at Nick with wonder in her eyes, her pools of amethyst bright like a star. Heat rising into Nick's cheeks, the fox silently thanked God for giving him red fur, as he coughed into his fist nervously,

"Uh.. heh.. It's top secret actually."

"I like secrets," Judy smiled.

That smile, oh God that smile. Upon seeing her adorable smile as she showed her large buck tooth, Nick swore he could feel the heat inside of him rapidly increasing..

_Wait. I'm literally burning!_

The heat turned into painful searing as Nick realized that he had already spent too much time up here, the metal plates on his body heating up dangerously as they started to burn through his clothes. Nick could already smell the burnt textiles as the fox stared in horror at the bunny.

"Are you okay?" Judy asked concerned, stepping closer to Nick. The fox nervously stepped back as he tried to hide the fact that he was literally burning under his clothes, the heat becoming unbearable as Nick tried to respond nonchalantly,

"Yeah, no I'm good," he stammered, backing further up towards the elevator as Judy started to grow concerned, her smile dropping.

"Wait, you're sweating! Do you want some water?"

"No! No, really I… I'm good. I'm pretty good," Nick choked as he tried to hide the pain, forcing a smile on his face as he regarded the two rabbits who were watching him with wide eyes full of concern and confusion.

"You know what, can you just.. uh.. excuse me for like.. just a second? I'll be back, I'll be right back," Nick suppressed a groan as he felt the plates searing through his fur before the fox opened the door and sprinted out of the room, leaving two baffled bunnies back as they turned to look at each other, before both of them bursted out in laughter.

"I don't think he's coming back," Judy giggled as she returned to her desk, glancing amusedly at her friend. Paula just chuckled before she regarded Judy with a sly smirk,

"He just left, Judy. You want him back so badly?"

"Of course I do," Judy retorted, "He fixed my project, after all. I need to know what that stuff is."

"Oh, I see," Paula smirked, "That handsome fox has some _product of interest_ , isn't it?"

Glaring at her friend, Judy threw a pencil at her friend before she spun around to sort through her paperwork, Paula bursting out in laughter upon seeing her reaction.

"Don't be mad, Judy. I was just kidding. You do have to admit though, he was cute," Paula giggled. As hard as Judy tried, she couldn't suppress her own smile as she thought about that fox. Paula was right, he was cute. And she didn't know why, but something stirred inside of her head. Like a leaf falling of a branch. Something she couldn't quite grasp was telling her that she in fact did want to see him again.

And Judy was sure it was not only because he was cute.


	9. New Plan

"You know I hate to say it, but I told you she wouldn't remember you."

Nick glared at the wolf as his ears flattened on his head. Nick, Pablo, and Albert were back at the warehouse after the fox had managed to run back to the Below after the inverse-matter had almost threatened to turn him into a grilled fox kebap. Nick was sure some of his fur was already singed and he could swear he was still able to smell it. Did it hurt? Yes, yes it did.

"Pablo.. please," Nick mumbled as he turned away from the wolf, focussing back on his task. He was currently standing beside Albert as the bear was crouching down onto his knees in order to apply some balm onto the burned parts of his skin. Some of the inverse-matter had actually managed to burn through the vest and his clothes, much to the fox's disdain.

"She got amnesia," Albert chuckled as he continued to apply the balm, his raspy voice echoing through the warehouse, "After all of that. Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em. You burned yourself pretty good there, too."

His smile shifting into a compassionate expression, the bear straightened himself as Nick pulled his shirt back down. Albert handed him the balm before continuing, "Put some more of that on tonight when you go to bed, alright?"

Nick just nodded as he put away the balm into his pocket. Without another word Albert and Pablo left his desk and returned to their own respective tasks, leaving Nick by himself and his thoughts as the fox mulled over what had happened earlier.

She doesn't remember me, he thought bitterly as he frowned. He had thought he had everything figured out. He thought his plan was absolutely bombproof, he thought all he would have to do is to find Judy and everything would be alright. That as soon as her eyes would fall upon him they would embrace each other, that they could share their lives again. He thought he could love again.

But the universe seemed to have another plan for him. It was sick. Here he was, knowing where his love was and yet he couldn't be with her. She was literally within his grasp and yet she was so far away.

As Nick slumped in his chair he couldn't help but feel completely helpless. He didn't know what to do. His plan had failed miserably, Judy didn't know who he was and that was it. Was it?

What if she falls for me again? It's not impossible, right?

But how was he supposed to do that? So much time had passed, he had barely any experience with other women as Judy was his first love. Besides, he was nothing more than some lowlife fox from the Below, not worth her time of the day, while she was literally the most beautiful bunny he had ever laid his eyes on. She was an angel, her light enriching any mammal around her. So who's to say that she didn't already have someone? Surely a line of males were waiting to court her, and any mammal would consider themselves happy to have her.

But that didn't mean that he couldn't get into the line as well, right?

-o-

The next day Nick was sitting in his cubicle working on his project as a voice from above caused the fox to jerk up of surprise before he spun around in befuddlement, his wide emeralds falling upon the strict female cheetah from his first day.

"Everything alright, Mr. Wilde?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicions as she watched the fox dangerously.

"Uh, yeah… yeah! Everything's fine," Nick stammered, his arms flailing around as the fox tried in vain to appear as casual as possible. Kicking himself mentally, Nick had to wonder why the heck he was acting so suspicious if he wasn't doing anything illegal? Luckily she didn't seem to care about his strange behavior, as the cheetah proceeded to tack a portfolio onto a stick before she passed it over to Nick who accepted it curiously.

"Here's the list of candidates for your clinical trial," the cheetah elaborated, causing Nick's eyes to light up in understanding as he flipped open the portfolio, a row of photos depicting elder mammals ranging from ewes and cows to wolves and bears.

"Oh! Oh, great! Thank you," the fox answered, his eyes glued to the pictures as the cheetah continued,

"I'll come by at the end of the day for your selections." With that she turned around and left Nick back to his work. The fox was still reading through the descriptions and profiles of the candidates as his ears perked up, a familiar voice catching his attention,

"Psst! Hey, may I see?"

Looking up from the pictures, Nick found a white wolf staring up at him excitedly with jovial ruby eyes. Much to Nick's amusement he could see Cypher's tail wagging, causing the fox to smirk as he turned around the portfolio to show the wolf the pictures,

"Uh.. oh," Cypher stammered as his smile immediately dropped upon seeing the elder mammals, his tail stopping in his tracks and instead falling limp, "Man geez, models like that… Your goose is cooked, man!"

"What.. what does this even mean?" Nick chuckled as he listened to the cringing wolf.

The two of them shared a laugh as a blaring sound suddenly echoed through the office, the mammals immediately raising from their seats as they started to face the large window in the front of the room where Nick knew was Lagavullan's office.

Reluctantly raising from his seat as well, Nick looked around confused as he had no idea what was happening.

"Show time!" Cypher exclaimed as he too rose from his seat before facing the window, a confident smirk on his face. Tilting his head in confusion, the fox decided to voice his questions,

"What's going on?"

"Oh, you'll see," was the vague answer as Cypher spoke over his shoulder, "You'll be on to a lot of fun."

 _"Attention, please,"_ Lagavullan's voice blared over the speakers, _"Before we begin handing out the bonuses, we have a list of individuals whose services will no longer be required…"_

As the moose started to recite the names from his list, the respective mammals started to leave their cubicles, seemingly being fired over the speaker. Nick's eyes widened as he saw how mechanically this process was, how much empathy it lacked to just fire someone over the speaker with nothing more but mentioning their names and justifying it by saying that their services will no longer be needed. As several mammals started to leave their cubicles, leaving the office, Nick started to become nervous.

"Believe me, my friend, your things work out," Cypher reassured the nervous fox, seemingly noticing the distress of his friend, "You got nothing to worry about."

_"... Beatrice Amuchastegue, Jimmy Scotch, Cypher Boruchowitz, Alexis…."_

The white wolf's smile immediately dropped as he spun around to stare with wide eyes at the window leading to the moose's office. Disbelief and shock were reflected visibly in his eyes as Nick watched how the wolf's hackles started to raise.

"That.. That's a mistake. No, it can't be…" he stammered before he proceeded to pick up an intercom from his desk, his paws trembling as he gripped the device,

"Uhm, excuse me," he spoke into the intercom, his voice echoing through the room and interrupting Lagavullan's reciting as all ears focussed on the wolf's anxious interjection,

"I'm sorry, but did you say 'Cypher Boruchowitz'? Because I think that's a mistake, yeah?"

There was a tense silence as Cypher waited for an answer, Nick watching his friend trembling under the scrutinizing eyes of his boss he couldn't see. After what seemed like years, the monotone voice of Lagavullan finally blared through the speakers, answering the wolf's question,

_"There is no mistake, Mr. Boruchowitz. You lied of your seniority. You will be given a retirement package, but your TransWorld contract has been terminated."_

And with that the moose continued to recite the names, causing several other mammals to immediately leave the cubicles, while Cypher continued to stare disbelievingly at nothing at all. His blank eyes were wide and his mouth agape, his mind seemingly not coming to the realization that he was now jobless, and Nick couldn't help but to clench his fists in anger and sympathy as he watched his friend losing his livelihood.

-o-

"Don't ever trust anyone here, Nick."

Nick and Cypher were now alone in the office, all the other workers having left for their homes as the two friends decided to stay longer to chat. Cypher didn't exactly have a reason to stay, but he didn't want to let Nick alone. So the wolf decided to stay at least until closing time until he would life. Cypher was currently ranting angrily, his voice laced with disappointment and disdain as Nick listened,

"All a bunch of snakes," the wolf spat as he started to pack his things into a small cardboard box.

"That's it?" Nick retorted, raising a questioning brow, "I mean, you just pack up your things and leave?"

"21 years…" Cypher sighed, "And they toss you out like a bag of garbage. Yep, that's the TransWorld way."

The wolf finished packing his things as he put on the lid on top of the box before he turned around to regard the fox.

"This is for your collection, some things in here may come in handy," he said, raising the box towards Nick. Realizing that the wolf wasn't packing his own things but some kind of farewell gift, the fox rose from his seat and stretched his arms as far as he could.

"You ready?" Cypher asked upon Nick just nodded, readying himself. With that the wolf carefully threw the box into Nick's direction, the fox catching it with both of his paws as he sat back down onto his chair, holding the box tightly under his arms as the Upper world pulled it upwards.

Turning back towards his friend, he noticed that Cypher had already left his cubicle, the wolf already halfway through the room, his back facing Nick as the fox decided to speak up one last time,

"Hey Cypher," he exclaimed, causing the wolf to stop in his tracks before turning around to look at Nick with a pair of misty eyes, "Thank you, for everything. And I'm really sorry."

Cypher just smiled ruefully as his eyes started to well up with tears, "Don't worry about me my friend," he choked, "It's their loss, right?

"Take care of yourself," he eventually said before turning around and continuing his way down the aisle, his tail hanging limply as it touched the floor. Nick couldn't help but to feel bad as he watched his only friend in this building left him behind. He didn't deserve this. Even though Nick had barely any idea what his job was, he was sure that Cypher was one of the best. It was TransWorld's loss, just like Cypher had said it, no doubt.

Still holding the box in his paws, Nick decided to look what his friend had left him behind. Carefully opening the box and setting down the lid, the fox raised the box over his head so he could peek into it and his eyes widened as he realized what Cypher had given him.

Inside of the box were Cypher's ID card, a piece of paper with his address, and a bundle of cash from the Upper world. A smirk growing onto Nick's lips, the fox set down the box onto the underside of his table as his mind was already starting to formulate a plan of how to win his bunny's heart back a second time...


	10. Hope

Again Nick found himself sitting alone in the empty office, the fox's eyes occasionally roaming the sea of cubicles as he was working on his project. The only difference this time, Nick felt truly alone. With Cypher gone, and Judy seemingly having forgotten him, the fox wasn't sure what he should do. The only option for him was to keep working on his project with the resources he had been given by TransWorld until those bloodsuckers would eventually fire him because of some nonsense reason. Ears flat on his head and tail limp, the fox sat at his desk, beakers and pliers in his paws as he worked on his formula for the anti-aging cream. Even though Nick tried his best to remain focussed on his task, the fox couldn't help it as his mind occasionally started to wander, thinking about Cypher, about Albert and Pablo. About Judy.

The fox was so deep in thought, his paws moving solely on muscle memory as he poured the pink liquid into another beaker, he almost failed to notice a phone ringing somewhere in his immediate vicinity. Ears perking up, Nick's head turned around as he wondered where the sound came from, the beakers and plier in his paws slipping from his paws. Before they could shatter onto the desk, Nick let out a gasp of surprise as he managed just in time to catch the tools, heaving a sigh of relief before he set them carefully onto the surface. Ears twitching, the ringing of the telephone continued, causing Nick to frown slightly before he lifted his eyes, realizing that it was Cypher's phone. Well, used to be Cypher's phone.

Intrigued by who would call the wolf, who had been fired earlier this week at such a late time, the fox quickly climbed onto his desk, stretching his body and grabbing the the device. Nick was practically tiptoeing on his desk before he managed to get the phone into his paws, grunting as he held it to his ear.

But as the fox heard the voice on the other side of the line, his heart pace immediately picked up a pace, emeralds widening in hope as Nick listened to the sweet voice of his mate.

 _"Hi, Bob,"_ she greeted him, well his fake persona that is, _"It's Judy Hopps!"_

"Oh.. h- hey! Uhm, hey," Nick stammered, holding the phone tightly to his ear as a smile started to tug on his lips.

_"Uhm, I was just wondering what happened the other day. You just rushed outta here and… well what happened to you?"_

Nick's breath hitched as his eyes widened. He somehow had to tell her a reasonable lie, something that would calm her nerves and didn't raise any suspicions. Even though he wanted nothing more than to confess his love to her, tell her who he was and what they had, he knew he couldn't do it right now. Something as sensitive as this needed time and tactfulness. And Nick was willing to give her anything she needed, no matter what, even if it meant to lie to her.

"Listen, I'm… I'm so so sorry… uh, for disappearing on you like that, uh.. You know what, the alarm w- went off and.. and the security had everything blocked, so… I was.. uhm, I was stuck there for hours."

Nick mentally kicked himself for being such a horrible liar. He really tried not to stammer, but apparently his tongue decided to betray him. He was usually way better at this. This damn bunny and her alluring charm!

"I mean, I've been desperate to call you.." his eyes widened upon realizing what he had said, the fox hurriedly backtracking as he stammered, "I m- mean I, uh… I've been meaning to call you, yeah!"

Nick waited anxiously as he held the phone to his ear with both of his paws, his foot tapping lightly on the desk as he waited for the bunny's answer. Much to his relief, Judy seemed to believe him as she let out a hum before she answered, her smile audible in her voice,

_"Alright, well. I'll let you make it up to me. Take me to lunch."_

_Wait. What?_

The world suddenly stopped spinning as Nick froze on top of his desk, his eyes staring blankly at nothing and everything at all as his racing mind tried to digest what he had just heard. She was asking him out. Judy Hopps was really asking him to go out with him. All this time he had racked his mind over what he should do, how he was supposed to win her heart a second time, and here he was. Completely stunned as his love had apparently given him the biggest opening he could have hoped for.

"W- what," he meekly breathed into the phone, a smile growing onto his lips as he felt weak in his knees.

 _"Yeah, you can come in with a better story by then,"_ she chuckled. Nick visibly deflated upon hearing this.

"Y- Y.. You wanna go to the cafeteria?" Nick asked awkwardly, not sure if he would be able to stay up there for such a long time as a date with the inverse-matter strapped to his body, the singed fur and burned skin on his body being definite proof. But he had hope that he could somehow get to the cafet-

 _"No, I thought we could eat out,"_ she chimed in, interrupted his train of thought. This was bad. Nick's eye twitched as he fidgeted on the table, his wide emeralds staring into space as his mind went blank.

"Eat out?" he breathed into the phone, his ears perking as he suddenly heard voices from somewhere nearing his office. Almost yelping of surprise the fox quickly jumped from the table before crawling under his desk, the phone still tightly in his paws as he held it to his ears, hoping no one had heard him as his eyes darted around panickedly.

 _"Yeah,"_ Judy said, sounding slightly disappointed, _"You don't want to?"_

"No, no, no!" Nick hissed into the phone, trying to keep his voice low as he feared the mammals nearby would hear him, "I'd… I'd love to."

 _"Okay, great,"_ her uppity voice responded, _"Uh.. how about cafe 'Dos Mundos', you know?"_

"Yes, of course, uh.. wow!" Nick answered hurriedly, "Cafe Dos Mundos, okay."

_"Is that a problem?"_

Carefully peeking from under the table, Nick could see that the mammals were gone, their voices slowly fading as they walked away from his office and causing the fox to let out a sigh of relief before he answered with a smile, "No, no problem at all."

 _"Okay, great!"_ Judy answered, her sweet voice filling his heart with warmth, _"I'll see you tomorrow at noon."_

"Okay, great, see you then," Nick responded before the two of them ended the call, his heart fluttering at the prospect of him and Judy going out. All kinds of feeling began to churn inside of him; anxiety, worry, excitement. But most importantly, he felt warm. This was a huge leap for him, he was finally going out with Judy again, his Carrots. And the best thing, she had asked him! The fact that the bunny had decided out of her own accord to call him and ask him out made it so much easier for Nick to win over her heart. All he needed to do now was to get to Dos Mundos and not mess this date up.

Easier said than done.

-o-

"You know, I gotta admit, I've always wondered what it would be like up there."

Nick was on a walk with Albert and Pablo, the three predators walking lazily around the industrial area as they chatted with each other merrily. After having told them the news of Judy having asked him out, the bear and the wolf were absolutely stunned. Neither of them had expected such a thing to happen after meeting Nick for only a few minutes. Nick on the other paw had never doubted that he could charm his love. After all, it had worked already once, why not a second time?

"Well, maybe now you'll know," Nick answered as he smirked, nudging the elder bear beside him as they steered towards the harbor.

"Alright, Pablo. If I could get you one thing, just one thing from up top, what would it be?" The fox turned towards the other canine as he voiced his question with a smile. Paws in his pockets, the wolf didn't look at Nick as he mulled over his decision. Eventually the wolf just shrugged before answering,

"One thing? A girl?"

"A girl?" Nick chuckled, regarding his friend with a raised brow. Pablo joined him with his own laughter as he punched him lightly on his shoulder, before he continued,

"Just kidding. I don't know, just bring me like one of the menus from the restaurant or something."

"Alright, I can give you that," Nick chuckled as the three of them halted at the harbor, their eyes staring across the black water as the light from the stars and from the bright city up above their heads was reflected upon the sea.

"What about you Albert?" Nick regarded the bear, "Anything I can get you up there?"

Albert didn't answer for a moment, the elder bear deep in thought as he gazed upon the water, watching the calming rhythm of the waves and listening to the white noise of the sea. Eventually he let out a raspy sigh before turning to Nick, regarding the fox with a worrisome, yet warm fatherly look.

"Just come back home safely, will ya?"

Nick just nodded mutely before turning back to stare at the water, his mind wandering as he thought about what he would be doing tomorrow. He couldn't really promise such a thing, to return safely down here after doing something as risky as this. He was breaking more laws than he could count, he was risking his life in the dumbest way possible. Nick honestly didn't know if he would return, or if he would even survive. But he couldn't stop now. He already came this far, he had found Judy, he had managed to talk to her, to find out why she had never contacted him over the past ten years. He had found out that it was because of her amnesia, not because she had found another mate. Nick knew that deep down, Judy, his Carrots still loved him. He knew that all of those memories, all of the beautiful times they had spent with each other were somewhere in her heart.

And tomorrow, Nick had finally the chance to remind her of what they had. His final step to win over her heart. And as the fox's eyes roamed the vast sea filled with tiny flames as it reflected the stars up above, he couldn't help but to smile as he thought about the bunny that would be soon his again.


	11. First Date

To say Nick was nervous would be an understatement.

The fox was sure if his heart would beat a little faster he would pass out from a cardiac arrest. Reflexively putting a paw onto his chest over his heart, Nick tried his best to calm himself down as he walked down the hallway. Not just any hallway, but one of the many hallways of the Upper world of TransWorld. He had just gone through the same procedure as the other day; waiting until everyone was gone so he could sneak into the boiler room, strap the remaining inverse-matter plates onto his body and his customized vest, and stroll through the building as if he was one of them. Fortunately no one had noticed yet how nervous the fox actually was. While Nick was sure if only one mammal would pay him any attention, they would immediately notice how out of place he was. But no one had noticed yet.

So far so good.

Swallowing, Nick entered the elevator leading to the main lobby, quickly tucking his tail in before the door closed as he turned to face the doors, his body as stiff as a pawpsicle. Glancing up to the display screen, the fox realized that he had to travel about twenty more floors until he would reach the entrance. Nick closed his eyes and took another deep steadying breath as he flexed his paws. Everything would be fine. His plan was simple and fool-proof.

_Just stroll through the lobby, act like you know where you're going, and everything will be fine._

Just as he managed to calm himself considerably down, the elevator doors slid open as a high pitched ding announced him that he had reached the lobby. Straightening out his suit, the fox casually strolled out of the elevator and immediately steered towards the security gates, behind them the pristine glass doors that would lead him to the outside and into safety. He just needed to get out of here, through security and the hardest part would have been done.

As Nick neared the security gates, dozens of rather intimidating rams already standing there with crossed arms, he swiftly took out the ID card Cypher had given him and swiped it through the machine, the lights turning green as the gates opened, allowing him to walk through freely. Suppressing a smirk, Nick continued his way through the lobby, making sure he looked confident as he quickly crossed the room, none of the security mammals noticing anything out of order. Reaching the glass doors, Nick was almost running by now as he bursted through the doors, his heart almost leaping into his throat as a wide grin spread onto his face, his russet fur glowing in the warm sun as he began to walk down the streets of the Upper world.

He had done it.

Barely able to suppress his euphoria, the fox let his emeralds roam around the city as he took in the luxury and abundance the mammals up here lived in. The buildings and houses here were so much more pristine, the facade and the windows in immaculate condition as if they have been just built five minutes ago. Wherever his eyes landed, he couldn't unsee the differences between his own world and the one he was walking through. The hustle and bustle, the wide streets filled with mammals who were dressed sharply. Everything looked clean and in order, nothing was dirty. Not a single speckle of dust or trash on the ground. It was amazing.

But as much as Nick wanted to just remain here and relish in the new world he had just discovered, the fox knew he was here for a reason. A very important reason.

Having researched the restaurant the night before, Nick had already memorized the way and the streets beforehand, so it was only a few blocks down as he reached his destination; Café Dos Mundos.

Wide emeralds roaming the intimidating building, Nick slowed his pace as he took in the architectural beauty that was supposedly just a simple café. But for the fox it resembled more of a public library with its huge dome on top of the building and the dozens of pillars decorating the white marble facade. It was really something else.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Nick rushed into the café and upstairs, his eyes immediately roaming the interior as he tried to ignore the beauty of the building in order to find the actual beauty he was looking for; Judy.

It didn't take him long before his eyes finally fell on the small gray furred bunny sitting by a huge window overlooking the city, her enchanting amethysts eyes staring lazily out the window as she was twirling a wine glass in her paws, seemingly lost in her thoughts. His breath hitched as he took in the beautiful angel like angel as the sun shone into the café in just the right angle, causing her gray fur to glisten as if he was staring at a star. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

Clearing his throat and straightening out the fur on his head, Nick did the last finishing touches on himself as he tried to look best for his bunny. After all he wanted to make a good impression…

_Wait… is this the first impression if she has…. Nevermind._

Nick shook the thoughts out of his head as he began to walk up to her, her ears adorably perking up as she noticed him. Turning her head, her vibrant eyes immediately lit up as she regarded him, causing his heart to pick up a pace as he nervously took a seat opposite to her.

"H- Hey," he stuttered as he sat down, mentally kicking himself for being so nervous. He quickly took her paw as she reached out to him, shaking it curtly before he made himself comfortable.

"Hi," she sweetly greeted him, setting down the wine glass as she regarded the fox, a light smile on her lips.

"Uhm… how are you?" Nick asked. He could clearly feel how he was getting hotter, and it wasn't the inverse-matter.

_Why the heck am I so nervous?! I've done this before!_

"Good," Judy patiently answered, her smile growing as she apparently noticed how nervous the fox was.

"Uh.. sorry… sorry I'm late," Nick continued, his eyes darting around as he nervously scratched his neck. This wasn't like him at all. Nick was usually way more suave with the females, but Judy, this damn bunny had just this effect on him. As soon as she would regard him with those big beautful pools of amethysts he would lose any composure he had built up over the day.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Judy brushed it off, "I just got here.

"So, how come I've never seen you around TransWorld before?" the bunny continued as she regarded Nick with a questioning gaze. Although she sounded rather suspicious, the light smile on her lips kind of relaxed Nick. _She's just trying to make small talk_ , Nick told himself.

"Well, I mean it's a… it's a pretty big company, you know? I don't know, maybe that's why," Nick chuckled as he fiddled with the silverware on the table, not sure what he was supposed to do with his paws. Judy didn't seem to mind as she continued to smile at him.

"Do you live nearby?" she asked, taking a sip from her wine as she regarded the nervous fox.

"Me? No, no, uh…" Nick stammered, his emeralds slightly widening as he stopped his fiddling. He needed to tell her something credible, something that wouldn't raise suspicions. He couldn't tell her who he was or where he really came from. Not yet.

"Uh… I-... I have a really long commute, you know," he chuckled as he reciprocated her smile. The two of them suddenly fell silent, both of them taking in their faces as they stared at each other. She was still smiling, but as the seconds went by, her smile slowly faltered as she began to frown. Second after second, Nick continued to stare at her, wondering if maybe, _maybe_ something might have clicked. Did she remember? Was she starting to recognize him? Suddenly feeling the urge to just straight out ask her, not wanting to wait any longer, Nick decided to speak up,

"I- I'm sorry, but… Y- You really don't remember me?" he slowly asked, his paws slowly inching closer to hers on the table as they maintained eye contact, her frown deepening as she threw him a confused look

"I mean, if you… if you look at me," Nick tried, desperation slowly creeping into his voice, "like…. I mean,, really… really look at me…. You don't remember me at all?"

Apparently growing more confused, the bunny averted eye contact as she pulled her paws away, growing flustered as she shook her head, still not answering Nick's questions.

"Come on, Judy," Nick continued to prod, chuckling nervously as he slowly realized that his plan was failing. But he didn't stop.

"Judy, we know each other," he finally said, his emeralds shining brightly as he gauged her reaction. Hope began to rise in his heart as he watched her. He had said it. He had told her that they in fact already knew each other.

Nick expected her to recognize him, he expected her to jump up and cry tears of joy, or at least a slight smile. But none of that was what he received. Instead her frown deepened as her smile was completely wiped from her face.

"What?" she huffed, apparently not understanding what Nick was trying to say.

"Come on Judy we.." he tried again, slowly growing more desperate. Nick knew he was messing up, but he couldn't give up now. Not now, not after he had finally found her. In a complete act of desperation Nick reached out and grabbed her paw, causing her to jerk back as she threw him a glare.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, pulling her paw back as she glared at the fox.

"Judy, I- I'm sorry but…" he stammered, "We really know each other, I mean…."

"Why are you doing this to me," Judy then asked, causing him to fall silent as he stared at her with wide emeralds. Her voice was low, her glare was intense, but among the anger and shock, he saw something else. Something that broke his heart. Disappointment.

Before he could utter another word, the bunny shot up from her chair as she began to walk away from the table, steering straight towards the stairs and ignoring any calls from Nick.

"Judy! Judy, wait!" Nick cried as he shot up from his own seat, just in time to grab her wrist and causing her to stop. The bunny was struggling to get away, spinning around to pull her paw away as Nick desperately tried to mend the situation.

"Judy, please," he begged, "Come on, sorry…. please, it's… it's just a misunderstanding. I just meant that we… that we met before."

His voice lowered as he realized what he was doing. He had messed up. He went too far too early. He needed to do this slowly and gently. Judy was suffering from amnesia, and he knew he couldn't force her to remember. He had to be more careful about this.

"I mean, it was at the elevator at work," he continued, giving her a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he tried to move her back to the table. Fortunately, the bunny relented as she followed him, though reluctantly back to the table as the two mammals sat back down.

"You dropped your papers and I helped you pick them up," Nick continued, "you don't remember that?"

Judy still wore a confused expression, and while her glare barely lessened as she was listening to him, the fact that she was willing to at least hear him out was a good sign. After a moment the bunny finally heaved a sigh as she closed her eyes, her ears slumping behind her head as she responded,

"N- No. No, I don't."

"Okay, listen, I'm sorry," Nick apologized as he gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm just a little nervous, that's all. I didn't mean to come at you like that, I'm really sorry."

The bunny still didn't look convinced as she stared at him with an unsure expression. At least she wasn't glaring at him anymore.

"Can you forgive me?" Nick added, giving her the puppy eyes, knowing she couldn't possibly refuse his apology as he smiled at her.

"I- I should get back to work, I think," she mumbled as her eyes glanced towards the door, and yet she wasn't pulling her paw away. Nick's grip loosened until he was eventually holding her paw, and still she didn't pull away.

"Come on, just stay for one drink," Nick begged, giving her the most charming smile he was able to muster as he gave her paw a squeeze, "We don't even have to eat. You know, uh… I'm not even hungry. Unless of course, you're hungry, in which case I'm starving."

Much to his relief, the bunny finally let out a sigh before she chuckled lightly, her sweet smile returning to her face as she regarded Nick, his own grin widened upon seeing her expression.

"I mean, I'll eat the whole menu. Twice," Nick quipped, his smirk growing as he finally saw the smile he had been waiting for, "If you sit down and have one drink. Just one."

Huffing, Judy was seemingly thinking about his offer, but Nick knew he had already convinced her as she turned her paw to grab his own, sending him a sweet smile as she raised a single finger with her other paw,

"Just one, alright?"

"Yeah! Great," Nick exclaimed, reluctantly releasing her paw as the two mammals made themselves comfortable. Nick could feel that the tension was still there. While it wasn't as palpable as before, it was still there. It was obvious that Judy still wasn't sure what she should think of him, that she still didn't remember him. But Nick also knew much to his relief that he was at least on the right track. She was still here. She was willing to sit here, have a drink with him, and give him her time of the day, and that was everything he could ever ask for.

As the two mammals sat in the café, Nick started to lose his sense of time. The two chatted, they told themselves about each other and their job, they laughed and joked, they ate and drank as if they were lifelong friends, as if nothing was ever wrong. And as they continued their merry conversation, neither of them noticed how comfortable they were suddenly around each other, how relaxed they were, how natural everything seemed.

But unfortunately, neither of them also noticed how much time had passed.

"Do you smell that?" Judy suddenly asked, her pink nose twitching adorably as she glanced around the room with a quizzical expression. Raising a brow, Nick had no idea what she was talking about as he spoke up,

"What do you mean? I don-"

And then it hit him. His own nose twitching, he finally smelled it, too. Singed fur. Emeralds widening, Nick finally realized what it was as he suddenly felt a stinging pain on his legs, the scent of burned fur and clothes spiking. The inverse-matter, it was starting to heat up.

"You're okay?" Judy spoke up, causing the fox to turn his eyes to the bunny, staring at her with wide eyes before he realized that she had asked him something. Scratching his neck, the fox tried his best to remain calm as he chuckled nervously,

"Y-Yeah! No, I'm good," he stammered, his body steadily growing hotter as he felt the metal plates burning through his clothes.

"I- It's getting a little… a little warm in here, don't you think?" he chuckled, and much to his relief the bunny didn't seem to notice his distress as she sent him another smile as she responded,

"Well, then let's get out of here."

Nick just nodded numbly as he tensed his muscles, clenching teeth and paws as he tried to ignore the pain and the growing heat. It was almost unbearable, but he needed to bite through the pain, he couldn't give away indications that he wasn't from this world. Fortunately the fox and bunny quickly paid their food and drinks as they left the café. His body stiff like a candlestick, the fox followed the bunny out of the café as she continued to ramble, seemingly oblivious to Nick's distress,

"...so there's this great orchestra from down Below, and they play here Friday nights. They're incredible, you have to hear it."

"Wow, that sounds great," Nick hissed through his teeth as he forced himself to smile.

"Okay, so see you Friday?" she asked hopefully as she regarded the fox, still not noticing his pain as she waited for an answer.

"Y- Yeah, su… sure," Nick croaked, his arms wrapped tightly around him. The heat was growing and growing, it felt like he had about a hundred suns under his clothes and they were slowly burning through his fur. But Judy couldn't know.

He barely acknowledged her as she smiled at him sweetly as she said goodbye, until she gave him a quick peck on the side of his snout, causing him to completely freeze. The bunny happily began to walk down the streets, a slight skip in her step as she left, the fox following her with wide eyes as he lifted his paw to touch the spot she had kissed him. He could still feel her soft lips on his face, and it was driving him crazy.

He would've actually mulled a little longer, daydreaming about his bunny, but there were things he needed to take care of first; the fire under his armpits.

Jerking up from his trance, the fox started to sprint down the streets into the opposite direction, teeth clenched panting profusely as his body was practically on fire. He needed to cool himself down, immediately or he would end up a pile of ash, that he was sure of.

Fortunately, as Nick was sprinting down the streets, he was apparently running squarely towards the harbor and the ocean. Thanking any Gods above him, Nick increased his pace, ignoring the confused looks from the mammals around him as he swiftly jumped over the railing and into the cold ocean water, his body immediately cooling down as he exhaled through his nostrils in relief.

As Nick was completely submerged underwater, relishing in the feeling as it cooled down his body, Nick's mind wandered back as he recalled the date. Sure, it was quite rocky for the first moments, but as the date went on Nick could clearly see how happy she was. She was genuinely laughing, she was joking around with Nick, they were talking as if nothing between them had ever gone wrong. It almost felt like she had remembered him.

He was close, Nick felt it. No, he knew it. Only a couple more steps, and he was sure that his bunny would remember him. He would be able to win over her heart again, and he would finally be able to love her again, his bunny, his Carrots.

His Judy.


	12. Game Over

The moon shone brightly upon the black sky as it was the sole source of light for the otherwise in darkness engulfed bedroom, which was located on top of one of the skyscrapers of the Upper. Single lines of white moonlight faintly illuminated the interior of the luxuriously decorated bedroom as the sole mammal started to stir in her sleep. Vage pictures and muffled sounds invaded the sleeping bunny's dreams as she wound in her bed in between her silk sheets, slightly being ripped out of her slumber.

After having returned from her meeting with Boruchowitz, Judy returned straightly to her apartment, exhausted after a day filled with paperwork. And even though she was beyond tired, the bunny couldn't help but to smile and feel somewhat bubbly as she thought about the charming red fox. Already from the moment they had first met in her office a few days ago she could tell that he was an enjoyable mammal. He was polite, funny, and lovable, and even though he was visibly nervous during their dinner, she actually thought it was quite cute of him to act like this. It boosted her ego to know that her mere presence could crumble a mammal's composure. Of course Judy didn't actively try to fluster him, but it was still very adorable nonetheless. Just thinking of him caused butterflies to flutter inside her body, her face already hurting from the constant smiling as her mind was filled with russet fur and emerald eyes.

And as her thoughts seem to always wander back to the red fox and his warm smile, she just couldn't get rid off the nagging thought inside her mind that something was off. She tried her best to pinpoint the feelings, but to no avail. It was frustrating. Eventually she had receded herself to her bedroom to go to sleep, hoping that her brain would figure this out on its own during her slumber. And that it did. Unfortunately, this involved somewhat vivid dreams, causing the bunny to groan groggily as she desperately tried to fall asleep.

_Judy…_

Multiple times over during her sleep, a voice whispered to her, a voice somewhat familiar, a voice that caused something in her mind to stir. Pictures of a forest flashed through her inner eye, pictures of tall firs and spruces looming over her head, the fresh scent of damp underwood and cold air. A familiar voice started to whisper again and again into her ears…

_Judy…. it's me…._

The bunny let out a meek groan as she wound in her bed, the prospect of a restful sleep constantly evading her as her dreams continued to be filled with faint memories. Her confusion started to grow as the pictures of the forest were slowly replaced by formless colors, no distinct shapes or anything, just blurred colors. There was something cream colored, there was burning red like a fire. And then there was green. But it wasn't an average green. Something about this color set her off, something about it caused her to stop stirring, her body relaxing as her muscles melted into the mattress. A color that provided her with warmth, with comfort and love, something she hadn't felt for a very long time, and just looking at it filled her with so much of it that the bunny eventually fell back to sleep, slipping into a comfortable slumber filled with russet fur and emerald eyes.

-o-

After the meeting with Judy and after having jumped into the sea, causing his literally burning body to considerably cool down, the fox then had returned to his apartment in the Below. And even though he was freezing because of his now completely soaked clothes, he couldn't help but to feel warm inside. His meeting with his love was a complete success to say the least. After a rather rocky start, the bunny seemed to have warmed up to him, much to his relief. They had talked, they had joked and laughed, they had a great time, and since a very long time, Nick felt actually happy. He had found her again, after all those years thinking she was dead, and now she was willing to see him again. It was too good to be true, and the fox felt like he was floating on clouds as he returned back home.

Try as he might, the fox just couldn't stop smiling as his mind was constantly filled pictures of the sweet bunny. Her soft gray fur, her vibrant amethysts, her angelic laughter, the way she made him feel just by being close to him. It was like he was under a spell. It was as if he was falling in love all over again. It was incredible, and he would never trade this moment for anything in the world.

And as the next day came, even though the feeling slightly dropped because of what day it was, Nick couldn't completely get rid off the bubbly feeling. But now he had to focus. He had to appear professional, as today was the day he would be presenting his product to the chairmanship of TransWorld, the project he had been working on for weeks. And now it was time to show Lagavullan and his colleagues what the results of his work were.

And now here he was, standing in front of a bunch of mammal he was trying to impress on a stage illuminated by bright and warm spotlights. All eyes were trained on him and it did nothing to calm him down as he stood there ramrod straight, fur on end as he stared at anything but the mammals in front of him. It was tense, it was hot, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. Luckily he wasn't alone.

"Our demonstrator will apply the full product live," the lead scientist's nasal voice blared through the speakers as the elder armadillo clad in a typical lab coat spoke into the microphone just beside Nick, "We'll be selling five separate creams of increasing strength.."

The armadillo then turned around to showcase the five different tubes containing the creams, labelled respectively from one to five. Nick proceeded then to put on his latex gloves as the first test mammal climbed the stage, the elder female elephant seating herself on a large chair beside the table.

"...according to the concentration of the active ingredient, five being the most potent," the armadillo continued, "The goal is to tailor the lift to the condition of the various facial regions."

Grabbing a small ladder Nick then stepped before the elder elephant who just smiled at him friendly as he climbed it up, his emeralds scrutinizingly darting over her face as Nick took in her appearance. Unsurprisingly, the pachyderm's face was wrinkled from her age, some parts more than others. Looking at the test subject's face for a moment longer, Nick then knew exactly what to do. Determinedly the fox jumped down from the ladder as he hurried over to the table with the five labelled tubes, his fingers swiftfully gliding over them as he knew exactly which cream to put on which parts of the face. With cream on all eight fingers now, Nick hurried back to the elephant, climbing up the ladder as he started to apply the cream onto her face. Surprisingly, as Nick worked on her face, the fox noticed that he actually calmed down. To focus on a task at hand helped him immensely on relaxing as Nick continued to skillfully apply the respective cream on the different parts of the elephant's face.

"And as you see, a range of strengths allows the consumer to apply what's needed where needed," the armadillos continued as he turned back to regard the audience, "For a general purpose product I think the level two provide visible all-round improvement without adverse effects. Number five, being strongest, can work miracles."

And rightly so, the elder elephant's prior saggy face started almost magically to lift itself, the wrinkles disappearing from her face as the cream began to took effect. Just like Nick had expected, the cream containing the pink pollen nullified the effects of gravity, causing the saggy parts of her face to lift themselves. His heart swelling with pride, Nick couldn't help but smile at the elephant, one she reciprocated as he stepped aside, so the audience could see the result of his work. His smile broadened as the audience then began to applaud, the room filled with Ah's and Oh's as the mammals took in the elephant who now looked about twenty years younger. It was truly a miracle.

"Any questions before we continue?" the armadillo then stated, his eyes roaming the room as the applause toned down. He then proceeded to answer some questions regarding the market price and so on, but Nick wasn't paying that any attention anymore. Something else had caught his eyes, and it wasn't something good. No, it was disastrous. It was the worst outcome of his plan, and the fox had no choice but to stare wide eyes wide like saucers at the gray bunny who had just entered the room.

On the upper side of the room, while he was standing in the Below.

"Shit," Nick cursed under his breath as he turned away from the audience, his eyes darting anywhere but at Judy as he desperately tried to find a way out of this. She couldn't see him, not now. If Judy would see him, she would immediately recognize him, and she would also know that he had lied to her, that he was in fact not from the Upper but from the Below. His whole plan was about to be blow up into thousand pieces on stage, surrounded by the chairmanship and Lagavullan.

This wasn't good. At all.

Judy on the other paw was completely oblivious to the fox' distress as she crossed the room, walking towards the rows of chairs before she seated herself among the other mammals. The bunny had heard about this project occasionally from her co-workers, but never did she really get the bigger picture. So, like the curious mammal she was, Judy decided to get a glimpse of this notorious project and to attend the demonstration.

As she seated herself, the bunny let out a quiet sigh, running her fingers through the fur on her ears as she relaxed her body. She didn't exactly get a lot of sleep last night. The constant onslaught of memories and vivid dreams made it really difficult for her to find a peaceful rest, and eventually the bunny gave up on sleeping, waking up about two hours earlier than usual.

As the armadillo spoke up, his nasal voice blaring through the speakers and into the room, her ears perked up as her eyes fell upon the three mammals on stage. One of them was the armadillo who was talking right now into the microphone, clad in a typical lab coat. The other mammal was a young female elephant, probably the test subject as she sat calmly on a chair. But it was neither of them that caused Judy's heart to leap into her throat as her eyes widened, her body freezing and ears dropping flat behind her head. No, it was the third mammal that caused her breath to hitch, that caused all of her feelings and memories of the last day to crumble like a dead leaf.

Right there on stage, on the other side, was the one fox she couldn't stop thinking about, the fox she had dreamt of, the fox she thought was a fellow Upper.

This can't be, she desperately thought, trying to find anything, any indication that could tell her that she was somehow mistaken. But much to her disappointment, nothing was out of place. He was the exact same mammal she went out with yesterday. The same russet fur, the same cream colored underside of his snout, the same warm emeralds that stared at her, his expression laced with shock and awe before he spun around, apparently trying to avoid eye contact. Her chest suddenly tightened as she watched him frantically looking around as if he was trying to avoid her at any cost, his fur on end and his tail bristled. It was the same nervous behavior she thought was so adorable. It was the very same fox, no doubt.

But it didn't make any sense. Why was he on the other side? Just yesterday he was sitting across from her, eating and laughing as if they were yearlong friends, and now he suddenly switched planets? That was impossible!

Closing her mouth and swallowing down her initial shock, the bunny frowned as she decided to find out the answer. Her heart was still confused, and she couldn't really say that she understood a single thing right now, but she knew what she wanted. She wanted to know the truth.

Raising herself from her seat, the bunny raised a paw and her voice, trying her best to keep a steady voice as she glared at the fox whose back was facing her,

"I have a question to the demonstrator," she said, her voice loud and clear as the armadillo turned to regard her, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead her amethysts were trained on the befuddled fox, his tail swishing agitatedly as the rest of his body froze upon hearing her voice.

"Mr. Boruchowitz, right?" she asked, failing to maintain her composure as her voice slightly cracked, carrying her emotions across the room and hitting the fox like an oncoming train.

Nick knew he was fucked this moment he heard her voice. His plan had failed. He had come so far, and now he ruined it simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. She had recognized him, she knew he had lied to her, and judging by her voice Nick knew he had messed up big time. Flexing his paws nervously, he forced himself to move as he slightly turned his head, his emeralds falling upon the small form of the bunny he so desperately loved in the back of the room. And as he looked into her amethyst pools, his chest painfully tightened as he saw the mixture of emotions, the sadness and anger, the betrayal. Clenching his teeth, the fox let out a sigh through his nose as he started to move towards the microphone. The cat was out of the bag. The game was over. He had messed up, and the least he could do was to take responsibility for his actions.

Turning his body to face the audience, his eyes locked with the bunny as he took in a steadying breath, slightly hesitating before he finally spoke into the microphone, his voice carrying across the silent apology as he regarded her,

"I'm sorry, you must have confused me with somebody else," he said in an even tone, sounding completely neutral to any outsider, but for Judy it was like a wrecking ball hitting her chest, "My name's Nicholas, Nicholas Wilde."

And as his words echoed through the room, as he fell silent upon exposing himself, his heart eventually broke as he witnessed the tears welling up inside her eyes, her beautiful eyes he swore he could drown in. The bunny he loved, his soulmate was looking at him as if he had stabbed her in her back. She was completely stunned by his answer, even though she knew very well who he was the moment she entered the room. Her breathing was erratic as she shook her head, her mind not fully comprehending what was happening, and as her body struggled to catch up, she decided to just leave. As if it was moving on its own, Judy's body soon carried her through the room until she reached the door, suppressing any tears as she determinedly steered for the exit.

And Nick could do nothing but to follow her form with sad eyes until she left the room as he stood on stage, all eyes on him and the spotlight heating him up. But none of that was acknowledged by the fox, he didn't care. Because just like his heart, his mind never stopped yearning for his bunny. And now he had hurt her in the worst way possible, he had broken her heart.

The game was over. And Nick felt like he had lost everything.


End file.
